


A Kind of Magic

by Nemerosa



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Bewitched-ish, Eventual Smut, F/M, Magic, Practical Magic-ish, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2019-08-02 19:41:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16311485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemerosa/pseuds/Nemerosa
Summary: A Kind of Magic - Boy meets witch, sparks fly!In which, Leslie is a witch and Ben is the ordinary man she finds herself inextricably drawn to.





	1. The Demon and the Lawyer

It was a few weeks before Halloween.

Leslie _loved_ this time of year. If she was honest with herself, she loved _every_ holiday, but this one was her favourite. It was the time of year when the leaves turned every beautiful shade of gold and copper and red. It was the time for hot chocolate with extra, extra whipped cream. The time for sweaters and being bundled up in blankets and long evenings spent laughing by the fire with Ann. It was a time of plenty – plenty of candy and everything else that was sweet.

Most of all, it was the time of year she loved her job the most. Which was saying a lot. Every atom in Leslie's body lived and breathed her job as Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department in Pawnee. She loved being close to nature and she loved caring for her community. She always had.

She sat in her office, sipping away at the hot chocolate she’d grabbed from JJ’s on her way into work, as she and Tom ran through their list of suppliers for the upcoming Harvest Festival.  They were on the final few pages when Ron called her into his office.

“Leslie, a word?” asked Ron from his doorway, coffee mug in hand, before turning and walking back inside. As usual, his stoic expression gave very little away, but by the tone of his voice she knew it wasn’t really a question.

“ _Oh no..._ looks like we’ll need to wrap this up later!” smirked Tom, leaning back his chair dramatically, but continuing to doodle all over the margins of the list.

Leslie merely blinked at him through a nervous smile before grabbing her folio and striding out the door, her gait becoming more confident by the mid point between her and Ron’s offices, at April's desk. She was wearing her last clean trouser suit before laundry day and had styled her hair softly today, having stayed up late at work every night that week on the Harvest Festival preparations.

“Maybe he's going to try firing you - _that’d be fun_ ,” muttered April from below her draping of midnight hair, not even bothering to look up from her phone screen.

Leslie’s hand rested on the stained wooden doorframe for moment, before she stepped inside and sat down opposite her granite-faced boss. Something was up. She couldn’t sense what, yet. Ron had always been relatively good at blocking Leslie’s talents out.

“The door,” he requested from below his full moustache, barely moving a muscle as he spoke.

“ _Oh_ , of course!” laughed Leslie, a nervous fluttering in her timbre. Scrunching her nose slightly as she did, the door abruptly slammed shut, blown closed by a sudden gust of wind. The action elicited a sheepish grin from her as she jumped at the sound. It only earned her an even more bemused look from Ron.

“ _Sorry..._ ” she smiled, before finding her typical cheer again.

“I’ll cut to the chase, Leslie,” began Ron, his opening statement causing an ominous drop within her stomach, “Paul’s brought today’s meeting forward a few hours-”

“Oh! That’s great! I mean, I won’t get as much time to fine-tune my presentation, but I’ve already got it memorised and rehearsed!” Leslie responded hurriedly, her eyes darting around with exhilaration.

“ _I know -_ you’ve already practiced it on me eight times this week…” sighed Ron, his eyes kind despite the sigh of exasperation he released, “ _Anyway_ , the meeting’s now at 9:30.”

“Great! I’ll go grab my things,” she said, rising out of her seat and heading for the door. Pausing just before she left, she turned back to where he sat – his expression like a captain about to weather a storm, “You don’t think we could maybe run through it _one_ more time?”

Ron merely groaned in response.

“Okay, yeah, no – I think I’ve got it locked down… No? Okay, I’ll see you at the elevator in five,” Leslie said hovering at the door. She was unable to contain her excitement at being able to blow everyone away with her masterplan. _Her masterpiece._

Grabbing her handbag, extra pens and the neatly bound plan - all 1100 pages - she met Ron at the elevator five minutes later. On the dot. The nagging sensation which had been bothering her since she’d gotten up that morning still tugged at her awareness, as they rode the lift down together. She hadn’t had a full-blown premonition, but she knew that something was coming. Good or bad, she couldn’t tell yet. She hoped it was something amazing. She wanted to give the town something to look forward to after some of the problems they’d already had to face that year. After things like the return of the racoon infestation, the Sweetums factory talking about moving to full-automation and the plague of mimes they’d had over the summer. She shuddered as she remembered the last one. It had been a reign of terror in striped tops and pale facepaint. They kept popping up everywhere. Every time the police moved one on for not having the right permits for street performance, two more appeared in their place.

The two colleagues walked in a comfortable silence into the meeting room, sitting down at the front. A few minutes later, Paul, their City Manager walked in. He looked like he was deep in thought about something. Even with his drab brown suit on, he looked like the colour had drained out of him. _Troubled_ , Leslie sensed.

“Are we waiting for anyone else?” he asked, to his assistant standing at the back of the room. Nodding in response to something that Leslie couldn’t see, he opened the meeting.

“Thank you all for coming,” Paul greeted them, “Before we start - I know that this meeting was due to cover the departmental budget presentations, but I wanted to let you know that the decision has been made to suspend this process indefinitely, due to the ongoing financial issues with this Government.”

Murmurs rumbled through the attendees, with Leslie amongst them, she wanted to ask why, but bit her tongue.

On reading the concerned expressions facing him, Paul decided to disclose the severity of the problem they were facing, “The issues are serious enough for the State Government to a send a team from Indianapolis to investigate and see where costs can be cut and savings can be made, to let us get back on track.”

Glancing at Ron, Leslie could see he was ecstatic at the news. This must have been what she’d been picking up on all morning: that they were sending auditors. She was angry though. How could things have gotten so bad? How did they not pick up on it sooner? Questions upon questions swirled in her head as she tuned out the rest of the meeting, only re-focusing when Paul adjourned it. As they slowly filed out of the room, an air of deflation hanging in the air, she realised that she hadn’t been prepared for this. For the possibility of no longer having a masterplan.

Sauntering back into her office, she parked herself in her seat, exhaling deeply without even so much as a cursory glance upwards from Tom. Running her fingers through her hair, she sprang up after a moment and stalked through to Ron’s office, shutting the door behind her. He looked up, through his brow at her, turning his eyes away from the purchase orders Donna had left for him to sign.

“I know what you’re going to say, Leslie,” he said, holding a hand up to ask her to stop.

“But, Ron,” she exclaimed, her blue eyes sharp with annoyance at the situation they now found themselves in, “-you know they’re only here to shut departments and services down!”

“-To save this town money and keep the essential services in place,” replied Ron, his voice belying that he knew all too well the reason for their visit, “Yes, Leslie, I’m aware.”

“This department could be one of them – they could reduce our budget to nothing or cut us entirely!” she cried, voice getting higher as she grew more impassioned. She was conpletely oblivious that the pictures on the wall, Ron’s mug or the loose effects he had on his desk were starting to rattle like an earthquake had hit.

“Leslie-” Ron started, sighing as the shaking grew more violent – prompting Donna and Tom to stop their conversation on the other side of the office and causing Jerry to drop the contents of his coffee cup all over himself. It continued until things started to fall over, forcing him to repeat himself again more forcefully, “ _Leslie!_ ”

Letting out a shaky breath, she sat down opposite him, trying her best to centre herself. The tremors which had rocked their office ceased a few moments after.

“Paul said they’d be visiting us first on their tour of the departments,” Ron told her after a moment, before taking a long drink of his now frothy coffee, “-do you think you can keep things… under control?” he asked her, the pause in his words underlining his meaning.

Still angry, but in a much more controlled way and in part embarrassed by the outburst her emotions had caused in her powers, she pushed herself up and out of her seat. “ _Fine…_ ” she grumbled as she walked out the door, leaving Ron staring into space after her.

Settling herself down to start wading through Tom’s notes, complete with what he called ‘emojis’ in the margins of the list she’d been going through with him earlier, the feeling like the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up returned. Trying to shake it off, she doubled her concentration, deciding that the strange – but cute – little characters must form some sort of rating system. She continued on like that, until April appeared in the doorway, saying that some ‘demon’ and his lawyer had turned up.

Hearing voices greeting a few of the staff in the office, Ron peered through his office glazing and on catching Leslie’s eye, they both left their rooms to go and find out who it was. Seeing two suited men at the front of the office that she didn't recognise, Leslie decided that the handsome, smiling man that was deep in conversation with Jerry must be the ‘demon’ April was referring to.

 _Urgh, Jerry…_ she thought to herself.

Her eyes then moved over to the ‘lawyer’ – he had his head down, looking at his feet as if he didn’t really want to be there. The realisation hit her a moment after that these two must be their auditors. 

“ _Ah!_ You must be our Director and Deputy Director! Chris Traeger,” the charming man greeted them – crystal-blue eyes, white smile and flawless features - pausing to let them introduce themselves.

“Ron Swanson…” offered Ron, sparing Leslie a bewildered glance when Chris grabbed Ron’s single, offered hand with _both_ of his and shook it enthusiastically.

“This is Ben,” Chris responded, gesturing over his shoulder to his more reserved colleague – currently more interested in checking his watch.

“And I’m Leslie Knope,” she smiled brightly at Chris, shaking his hand. He was like the male equivalent of Ann – in looks at least. She wondered to herself if he was as nice and perfect and wonderful as her best friend. Deliberating for a moment, she decided to offer his companion a similarly warm welcome and was surprised when he looked up.

He was handsome: with an angular jaw, sharp brow and deep, brown eyes. They were chocolate coloured, Leslie decided - like the warm gooey kind inside a brownie. They flickered down to her waiting hand and with his brows knitted together briefly, he decided to return her handshake. Just as their hands connected, a jolt went through Leslie. She realised that he must have felt it too, when his lips parted slightly, and his eyes met hers – like there was a recognition in them. They both snatched their hands back at the sensation.

Maybe _this_ was what her senses had been trying to tell her about.

_Then he opened his mouth._

Clearing his throat, his gaze grew neutral again, “So, can we start reviewing your budget and spending?”

 _Uh-oh_ , was all Leslie could think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully if you've read it you've enjoyed it - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you.
> 
> A big thank you to the wonderful Ashisfriendly for being gracious enough to let me play with some of the ideas they had in their fab story 'Learning to Cope' and to the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation, Practical Magic and Bewitched, for giving us two wonderful shows and a movie.
> 
> I know this chapter hews pretty close to the masterplan episode, but I'll hold my hands up and say that I don't think I can top that in terms of introducing Ben and Chris (I mean, as an episode, it's pretty perfect). I've tried to maintain some of the main beats, whilst introducing some of the AU elements, so that I can start spinning it out from there. Remixing things a bit, so to speak.


	2. Witches be crazy...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie, Ron and Ben have their meeting...
> 
> Leslie turns to Ann for advice.
> 
> Then Leslie remembers a fateful decision...

Leslie could only gulp, as he waited for her to respond. His gaze was intense - like he had a laser-focus on the task at hand. The task at hand being getting Leslie and Ron to confess their departments shortfalls and 'additional expenditure'.

When she didn’t respond, he half-raised an eyebrow and glanced towards Ron, who was likewise staring at her.

“Do you have an office, or a meeting room we could have this discussion in?” the man called Ben questioned, turning his gaze back on Leslie again. Despite his cool facade, she could feel the agitation prickling away beneath the surface. He had a _very_ serious demeanour for such a young man.

Ron merely nodded towards the vacant meeting room in the back, sauntering off in its direction. Meanwhile, Leslie shifted uneasily - meeting Ben's pausing look as he moved to follow him - with a smile that died on her face. She was still reeling from their brief physical contact a few moments before. Leslie could feel the eyes of her team – _her beloved department_ \- on her as she followed the two men inside. She couldn’t bear the uncertainty that she could sense from them.

Taking a moment to collect herself as she quietly closed the door, she softly walked over and gracefully sat down, clasping her hands together on the table and a mask of serenity on her face. Ben was busy setting himself up, so she exchanged a confident look with Ron before the younger man spoke without even lifting his eyes from the report in front of him.

“ _So,_ why don’t we start with any natural wastage you have?” his voice impersonal and remote. Leslie felt like it was almost as if he wanted to distance himself from the people involved. Just focus on the figures instead. _Like a robot._

“ _We have none,_ ” Leslie answered hurriedly, earning her an incredulous look when he finally looked up, his gaze dark and unreadable.

 _Damn those eyes_ , she thought to herself.

He stared at her for a few seconds before looking over to Ron for confirmation. Ron instead released a small, uncharacteristic giggle – usually only reserved for something like a conspicuously badly-installed set of shelves – to which Leslie’s head snapped round.

“I find that _hard_ to believe, Ms. Knope…” the auditor sighed, jotting down something in his notebook before shutting it with an audible ‘snap’.

 _Oh no!_ Leslie worried, _I'm making a bad first impression…_

“You see,” Ben continued, his voice even and measured, “-the reason Chris and I were sent here, was to investigate this economic ‘black-hole’ which is threatening to swallow Pawnee up.”

“Well, no black hole to see in this department, so we won’t keep you. _Right Ron?_ ” smiled Leslie, moving to push out her chair and starting to stand. Ron fixed her with a look as if she had grown a second head and the snort that Ben released as she said it caused her to slowly sit back down. The young man shook his head, before spreading his hands across his folio.

“I’m here to do a _job_ Ms. Knope. If you prevent me from _doing_ that job, it will reflect _badly_ on _you_ and _your department_ in any decisions made,” he retorted, his tone clipped. Ron shot Leslie a warning glance – not to respond - but already knew that Ben’s words were the match to her fuse.

“Are you _threatening_ me?” she fired back, her clear blue eyes narrowing - unable to hide the annoyance beginning to smoulder in her voice.

“Not threatening, Ms. Knope. Merely stating the facts,” Ben smirked at her from across the polished wooden table, self-satisfied.

Leslie could feel the rage boiling within her. He seemed to be _enjoying_ this. He was _enjoying_ coming here to slash budgets and put people out of work. These were real people he was going to be firing. It _enraged_ her. The table began to rock, gently at first before building into a more violent rattling. Ben jumped, startled by the suddenness. Unseen to him, Ron drew in a breath - hoping that Leslie would realise what was at stake and start to calm down.

“ _Is it an earthquake?_ ” the young man asked, a panicked look on his face.

“The emergency alarm will start sounding if that’s the case,” answered Ron, his voice flat and even, clearly unperturbed by the moving table. Casting a sideways glance at Leslie, as the table legs continued to rumble against the floor, he cleared his throat. The sound brought Leslie back into the room and she met her boss’s gaze, following it down to her hands, which were clasped in a vice-like grip on the table in front of her - white-knuckled and trembling.

She snatched her hands back, placing them on her lap out of sight. Still irritated by Ben’s callous attitude, Leslie couldn’t hold her tongue any more.

“You’re being a _jerk!_ ” she spat at him, frown marring her face. Ron’s head rolled back, eyes to the ceiling – not quite believing that Leslie was going on the attack now.

“ _…What?_ ” asked Ben, confusion streaking his features and pain flashing in his eyes.

“You, you can’t do this…” She murmured, having lost her courage from a moment before, as she registered the hurt that now emanated from him at the name she’d called him. It was a fleeting sensation however and he quickly closed himself off again.

“As I already explained to you: I’ve got a _job_ to do, Leslie. If you want to _help_ your department - _I suggest you do yours,_ ” growled Ben, his voice taking on a hard edge, “I think I have everything I need for now, thanks. _We’re done here._ ”

The finality with which he said those last few words, hit her like a sledgehammer. As she watched Ben’s retreating form storm out the department, she could feel the eyes of her team moving from his swift exit, back across the office to her.

“Care to explain _what_ in the _hell_ happened there?” demanded Ron, shaking his head at her, his arms crossed across his broad chest.

“ _No…_ ” answered Leslie, her voice small as she sank deeper into her seat – willing the ground to open up beneath her.

“Then I’ll _tell_ you what just happened: you just _insulted_ one of the men deciding the fate of this department,” Ron announced, disbelief and what Leslie could see was disappointment on his face, “-not to mention your little _stunt!_ Good God, woman - it’s like you _want_ him to fire you first…” he muttered to himself. Then he stood and walked back to his office to process the disastrous meeting.

Leslie moved her head down into her hands, resting her elbows on the now-still desk, wallowing there for a little while until she felt a presence by the door. Looking through her splayed fingers, she could see April standing in the open doorway.

“I see you drove off _the demon_ and his messenger,” she said, without a discernible emotion in her voice.

“I didn’t mean to, I don’t know what happened…” Leslie said to herself more than to April.

“He was creepy – the demon – and his minion was weird too. _Thanks_ , or whatever,” the younger woman said awkwardly before retreating to her desk. Leslie smiled a little at that. At least April was on her side.

 _What am I going to do?_ Leslie wondered to herself, before she realised she should call Ann. Ann would know what to do – she was always such a wise, beautiful lemur. As she listened to the dial tone, Leslie looked at her hand and recalled the electric jolt that shot through her arm when she’d shaken Ben’s hand. His thick, wild hair. His sharp jaw and those deep brown eyes. The way his mouth had parted…

Shaking herself at the unbidden thoughts, she could hear the line's ringing tone and then wondered about the strange look he’d had on his face. _What was that?_ Leslie pondered, before the clicking on the line told her Ann had finally answered.

“Hey, Leslie – what’s up?” came the wonderful sound of her best friend’s cheerful voice.

“Oh Ann, I messed up. _Big Time…_ ” Leslie started to explain, before regaling Ann with the full, lengthy explanation - featuring every minute detail of what had happened. Ann listened patiently, of course, to the woes of the day – occasionally chipping in with an agreement here and some soothing words there. Honestly, Leslie sometimes wondered what she had ever done to deserve a perfect summer snow-angel like Ann Perkins.

Once she had finished, Ann laughed.

“ _What’s so funny?_ ” Leslie asked her, the joke lost on her entirely.

“Oh, _nothing,_ ” Ann responded cryptically, before bursting into laughter again, “-it’s just that the physical description you’ve just given me of this ‘Ben’, sounds an _awful_ lot like the man a 10-year old Leslie drew and said she was going to marry!”

“P’shah,” Leslie huffed out, trying her best not to roll her eyes, “Ann, I told you I was going to marry the future Vice-President…”

“Okay, you _were_ strangely specific,” Ann snorted - trying to stifle a snigger at hearing it out loud for the first time since that Halloween - so many years ago, “-but don’t you find it all a _little_ weird? _Even for you?_ ”

“And what is _that_ supposed to mean?” Leslie asked in her mock-offended tone, trying her best not giggle and give it away.

“ _All I’m sayin’ is:_ witches be crazy,” snickered her friend at the other end of the phone, sending both women into a loud cackle at her choice of words, before Ann spoke again, “-seriously though, I wouldn’t sweat it. If you get a chance, _apologise_ – but I think he’ll have much bigger fish to fry right now.”

“Thanks Ann, you always know just what to say. See you tonight after work?” Leslie offered, hoping Ann was free, but only now realising - with guilt - how much time she must have taken up of her friend's break with this call.

“I’ll grab a bottle of wine on my way over after work. _Oh shoot_ – I’m late back from my break, I’ve got to go, bye.” Ann said, ending their call.

Glad she’d phoned her friend for advice, Leslie relaxed slightly and looked out of the window. The sun was beginning to set – casting some beautiful light into the courtyard outside - and Leslie thought back to the night Ann had just reminded her of.

                                                                               

* * *

 

Ann had been over, helping Leslie to get ready for Samhain. Even though Ann herself wasn’t a witch, Marlene and Leslie welcomed her every year to their little celebration. Despite Pawnee occasionally being quite a fervently religious community on _some_ issues, the Perkins’ had always been a warm and open-minded family and had no problem with their little girl spending time over at the Knope’s. Even amidst the rumours and the strange goings-on that seemed to occur around them and their property.

“ _Girls,_ ” shouted Marlene from the kitchen, “-are you finished decorating the altar?”

Leslie and Ann giggled happily as they arranged the last of the assorted pumpkins, autumn wreaths and the little fabric ghosts they’d made. They added a picture each of their loved ones – Leslie’s father and Ann’s recently departed Grandma and on hearing Marlene, the two girls came running through from the living room.

“The bread’s just finished cooling,” her mother smiled at them, before lifting it over to the table and turning the dark loaf out of its tin, “-why don’t you go get the candles?” Marlene was dressed in a long, purple velvet dress with a midnight coloured cloak, dusted with tiny silver-embroidered stars – held about her shoulders with an ornate silver clasp, shaped like the crescent moon.

“ _Yes_ , mom,” Leslie grinned back, before running out to the hall cupboard to retrieve them – her long golden braids swinging through the air behind her.

“What’s that you’ve got there, Ann?” asked Mrs Knope, spotting multi-coloured sheets of paper with some sort of drawing on them, which Ann held gently in her hands like they were the most important things in the world.

Glancing down at them nervously, Ann flicked her honey-brown eyes back up to the woman. “Leslie said I’ve to guard them with my life,” Ann answered earnestly, never able to lie to Leslie's mother.

“ _Did she now?_ ” laughed Marlene, arching an eyebrow at that.

“Here you go, mom,” announced Leslie, handing the candles over, “can we start, now _? I’m so excited,_ ” she said, clapping her hands -which prompted Ann to join in.

“Come on then - bring the bread,” Marlene responded, beckoning them to follow her through to their altar in the living room. She set about lighting one of the candles ceremonially and then stepped back, beginning the words to their yearly ritual:

_“Oh, here us spirits of Samhain,_

_-that wander every Halloween._

_We light these candles to guide your way,_

_on this most sacred holiday.”_

Tugging Ann’s sleeve, Leslie led her over to the altar and they lit one each before moving next to her mother again. Nodding to the girls, Marlene continued her recital:

“ _We place this offering for you -_

_to thank you for our bounty this year through_

_and hope you’ll bless us in the new."_

She paused to let the girls place the offering loaf. When the two children returned to either side, she held out her hands for them. Joining hands, they bowed their heads for their final verse:

_“Please join us for these festivities tonight_

_\- in your honour, by fire’s light._

_As the stars shine peaceful above,_

_may you find your way to those you love.”_

Marlene smiled down at them both, “Good job girls – when you’re a little older, we can try the _full_ rite.”

“Can we do it next year, mom - can we, can we, can we?” asked Leslie, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

“Maybe the year _after_ , Leslie,” Marlene laughed down at her daughter, love and amusement in her voice. Her husband was with them tonight, she could feel it. He was so proud of his little girl for not shying away from her heritage.

“ _Mrs Knope?_ ” asked Ann, tapping her gently on the back - her voice unsure.

“Yes, dear?” Marlene responded, her tone and expression warm as she gazed down at the pretty, cinnamon haired little girl.

“Do you know if my grandma is here?” the young girl wondered, voice wavering a little as she began to sniffle through the brave face that she’d put on.

“I’m sure she’ll be on her way – you’ll know _in here_ when she arrives,” Marlene smiled, crouching down to point towards Ann’s heart. The little girl’s sniffles died away at that and her face was once more aglow with a bright smile, “Now, why don’t you two go play out in the yard while I go get the dessert served?”

“Come on, Ann - _let’s go!_ ” yelled Leslie - grabbing the sheets of paper Ann had brought with them earlier - rushing out the back door with her best friend close on her heels.

Catching up to her by the bonfire area towards the rear of the yard, Ann could see Leslie had her little checked dress bunched up and was already kneeling in the ashy ground setting a small fire, striking the matches and coaxing it to life with an unnatural breeze. A dancing flame burst to life a few moments later atop the amassed timbers and after admiring her work, Leslie locked eyes with Ann, who nodded in response.

“Are you ready?” she asked, receiving a nod back.

The two little girls held out their sheets of paper in front of them - facing one another - revealing the words ‘my future husband’ and a picture of the man they were asking to meet. They both laughed when they saw what the other had drawn.

“The world’s most handsome and perfect and wonderful man?” chuckled Leslie, looking at the Ken-like ideal that Ann had depicted. He was all tall, dark and handsome and with the brightest blue eyes she could get out of Leslie’s colouring pencils.

“ _Oh yeah_ and you’re going to be ‘Mrs The-Future-Vice-President,” Ann laughed, letting out a loud snort.

“Hey, it’s only since _I’ll_ be President,” Leslie guffawed, before settling herself, “ _Shall we?_ ”

“You go first,” Ann answered, wanting to watch to see how Leslie did it,

“ _Okay_ – here goes,” Leslie breathed, before launching into her spell, which as with all her writing, was on the wordier end:

_“Oh, wandering spirits of Samhain night!_

_We give you this fire to keep you warm_

_and give you light._

_Please hear my call:_

_we ask your help,_

_to find the men our hearts desire:_

_husbands we can happily marry._

_Accept our offer in the fire,_

_to find the men – please do not tarry!_

_We thank you now and leave you be,_

_Please enjoy these gifts we leave for thee.”_

Then, holding out her drawing and pulling out a handful of bay leaves from one of the pockets of her dress, Leslie looked it. She looked at the tall, spiky haired V.P. she had drawn, with his brown hair and brown eyes – _the colour of chocolate chips_ , she had told Ann – then glanced at it one last time before casting them into the flames. She watched as the fire swallowed her offering up hungrily and an odd wind kicked up, carrying the embers high into the air. Leslie could only smile.

_It had worked._

                                                                                         

* * *

 

 _It had worked_ … Leslie remembered and then mulled over Ann’s earlier thinking.

_‘…but don’t you find it all a little weird? Even for you?...”_

_Oh, crap on a cracker_ , Leslie thought, the realisation setting in.

It _had_ worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read so far and to everyone who's left kudos - I'm so happy people seem to be enjoying this.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> Still a little close to the Masterplan at the start, but I wanted to book-end that section and have started to introduce more of the AU elements now. See you at the next update!


	3. The Olive Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben tells Chris about the meeting.
> 
> Ann and Leslie talk Leslie's problem out.
> 
> Leslie tries to make amends and gets more than she bargained for...

Ben had finally stalked back into the office he and Chris had commandeered – the heated conversation he had had with Leslie still roiling in his mind. It _bothered_ him – _it really did_ – that she thought that he _liked_ doing this. He _enjoyed_ his job. He enjoyed solving problems, like saving cities from going bankrupt – but that didn’t mean he enjoyed watching people lose their jobs.

He hadn’t been _this_ worked up about what someone had thought about him since…

Well, Ben never liked thinking back to _then_.

Partridge had been a dark cloud which had hung over him for a _long_ time – until he had worked his way up through the ranks of the State Government and begun working with Chris. Meeting Chris had been one of the best things that had happened to him, he remembered. Sure, they had their differences – but Chris Traeger was a hard guy not to like – and it wasn’t long until his constantly optimistic and positive companion had begun to affect Ben’s decision to punish himself for the rest of his days.

Then his mind moved back to the small, fiery, golden-haired woman who had crossed swords with him. _She’s either brave, or stupid,_ Ben thought to himself – a slight frown creasing his forehead – and he was pretty sure it wasn’t the latter. His eyes flickered down to his hand, as he held it up in front of himself – examining it. The sensation which had shot through him when his hand had touched hers wasn’t like a static shock. _What was that?_ he wondered silently.

Just then, Chris appeared out of the back room, seeing two bewildered looking department heads out. _Great,_ Ben thought, _I’m going to need to ‘clarify’ whatever he’s just told them._ Seeing his colleague had returned from his appointment with the Parks and Recreation Department, Chris wandered over with a smile on his face.

“ _So,_ how did things go with the delightful Ron and Leslie?” Chris asked, eyes bright and cheerful.

“Oh, delightfully, Chris,” Ben dead-panned, “- _so delightfully,_ in fact, that the Deputy Director summoned an earthquake to stop me from cutting their budget…”

“ _Oh dear,_ ” murmured Chris, his face fallen and seeming to think Ben was being serious.

“ _I’m joking,_ Chris,” Ben replied and on seeing the uncertainty on Chris’s face, followed it up with, “It was a joke – _nobody_ can do that.”

Sitting down opposite him, Chris asked what had happened, so Ben took him back through everything that was said and done in the meeting.

“…So, I think it’s safe to say that she might _kill_ me if she sees me again, Chris,” Ben sighed, not quite believing he’d suggested to the impassioned Leslie Knope that she _wasn’t_ doing her job. _Of course, she was,_ he berated himself internally, _she’s trying to protect her team._

“Well, you _have_ had death treats before,” responded a concerned-faced Chris, after digesting Ben’s update.

“It was another _joke_ , Chris,” groaned Ben, wishing that his colleague _got_ irony.

“Regardless, if it’s something you think will stop you from being able to fulfil your duties, then I can take that department over for the rest of the assignment,” offered Chris, his smile returning once more.

“No, I think I’ll be fine,” Ben replied, opening up his laptop, “-thanks, though.”

Chris glanced down at his watch, before getting up, “I’ll be doing 20K tonight before dinner, just in case you’re looking for me.”

Ben blinked at him, not quite following why it was so great an amount. He knew Chris generally took a run for his full lunch-break each day, but this seemed excessive, even for him.

Chris stood silently for a moment, before realising and offered his explanation, “Missed my usual hour long run at lunch with a few back-to-back meetings – it has literally been _non-stop_ today!” he laughed, his toothy grin bright and white and straight, before he walked back over to the rear office.

“ _Oh_ , well I think I’ll probably just grab a pizza or something on the way back to the motel…” mumbled Ben, as he opened his laptop back up, “-have a shower, get an early night…”

“That sounds like an _excellent_ idea!” shouted Chris from around the doorway of the rear room, already changing into his running gear.

Ben did a double-take at that, _Had Chris just said he’d like Pizza?_ he asked himself.

“I could use longer in bed myself, to maximise my REM cycle,” Chris continued explaining, before emerging in his tracksuit to begin his warm-up.

“Cool,” Ben replied, shaking his head, before returning to his spreadsheets.

Chris had finished his warm up routine _exactly_ half an hour later, before he tore off out the door to their office, bidding Ben a good night - and asking him ‘not to work too hard!’ - on his way out. When Ben eventually looked up from the cool blue glow of his laptop screen, he could see how dark it had gotten. Deciding the rest could wait until morning, he packed up his few things and headed for his car.

The ride back to the motel was quiet and uneventful and he was somewhat surprised that his mind had wandered back to the events of his meeting with the rambunctious Leslie Knope. Something about the way they had left things gnawed at him. For whatever reason, he _hated_ the fact that she thought he was ‘a jerk’. As he got back to his room, he called the night manager to get a number for a pizza place. Today had drained him to the point he didn’t want to go back out. All Ben wanted to do was get his shower, eat some comfort food and see if he could find some Star Trek re-runs on cable, until he decided to go to sleep.

                                                                                             

* * *

 

Across town, Ann had just arrived at Leslie’s, wandering up the short path across her lawn to the front door. Leslie’s house was small, but homely. Ann knocked the door with a short rapping and within seconds Leslie opened the door, enveloping her in a tight, warm hug.

“Oh, Ann - my perfect, wise lioness,” smiled the shorter Deputy Director, ushering her best friend inside, before wrinkling her nose at the door. It slowly closed over a few seconds after, the latch clicking as it did.

Ann uncorked the bottle of wine, pouring them both out a glass of the clear, yellow liquid.

“ _And how’s my niece?_ ” she laughed, reaching down to scratch Leslie’s black cat Sphinxy, under the chin and received a happy purr in response.

“She misses her Aunt Ann – says you don’t visit enough,” replied Leslie, answering for her cat.

“Are you sure that’s what Sphinxy says, or is that what _you_ think?” asked Ann, raising her eyebrow in question as she took a sip of her wine.

“ _Well_ , she agrees with me!” Leslie answered, lifting the box of chocolates she’d picked up on her way home, up and carrying it through with her as they made their way through to sit in the living room. Sphinxy followed them through a few minutes later, realising that the kitchen was more boring without them – the jingling of her bell letting them know she was coming.

“ _So,_ ” began Ann, after they and the cat were all settled on Leslie’s large couch, the ample leg room between them allowing them to stretch out comfortably, “-tell me more about this ‘Ben’?”

“Oh Ann, you’re so sweet and smart and pretty, _please don’t make me_. I don’t want to even think about _that_ right now…” whined Leslie, throwing her head back, before reaching for a chocolate.

“So, you _haven’t_ been thinking about his ‘annoyingly perfect hair’, or his ‘stupid, rich, velvety voice’?” Ann pushed, knowing full well that was _all_ Leslie had wanted to talk about since she had reminded her of their Halloween ritual so long ago.

“ _Fine,_ ” Leslie managed to grind out, levelling Ann with a look that showed her that she _wasn’t_ happy about it. _At all._ Not even a little. Okay, well _maybe_ a little. “Out of _all_ the people the universe could have sent me, _why_ did it have to be the state auditor?” Leslie asked aloud, looking to Ann for guidance, her glacier blue eyes wide in question. Ann thought it over for a few moments, before responding.

“Maybe it backfired a little?” she shrugged, trying to make sense of what had happened.

“Maybe…” muttered Leslie, under her breath, before she took another drink from her glass.

“Well, think about it – you’ve always told me that magic is a pretty complex thing and that you can’t _force_ it. Maybe it backfired because you made a mistake, or we did it at the wrong time…” offered Ann, trying to lift her friend’s spirits.

“I don’t know Ann, we’d been preparing that for weeks, I’d made a _full_ binder – on top of my grimoire – so that we were _sure,_ ” Leslie answered, raising her eyes to meet Ann’s.

“I know Leslie, but we were kids,” smiled Ann, “-and kids are _dumb_. I mean, come on, have _I_ met the world’s most handsome and perfect and wonderful man?”

“Well, no…” replied Leslie, her face mournful, when she sat and thought about what her beautiful best friend had just said.

“ _Or_ , maybe the spell worked, but just not how you thought?” smiled Ann, breaking her gaze away from Leslie to stroke Sphinxy, who rumbled comfortably in her deep sleep. Despite the warm smile Leslie could see on Ann’s face, she could sense a sadness there too, behind it. Ann was lonely, she had been ever since she had finally – and rightly, Leslie knew – broken things off with Andy. Despite how Leslie felt about the lovable goof, he _had_ hurt Ann, even without meaning to. It was for the best. He had to grow up and he couldn’t hold Ann back to do that.

“Ben’s made clear his thoughts on me,” sighed Leslie, pouring herself some more wine and then refilling Ann’s glass, held out for her, “he’s just here ‘to do a job’ and I’m getting in his way...”

“Did he _actually_ say that?” laughed Ann, rolling her eyes at the comment.

“ _Well,_ he said the first part…” mumbled Leslie, her voice trailing off as she swirled the liquid in her glass, fidgeting as she remembered their fight earlier. How hurt he had felt when she had said that to him. The pain that had flashed across his features, before he carefully schooled it away.

“So, you said some things, he said some things…” Ann supplied, when Leslie neglected to finish what she was saying, “-extend the olive branch, see if he takes it and you can move things on.”

“ _The olive branch_ – of course! Oh Ann, you crafty nymph!” exclaimed Leslie, her eyes darting about as she began to formulate a plan.

Knowing that look all to well, Ann could only look on as Leslie began to pace the living room carpet.

“You know that was a figure of speech, Leslie. No witchy ways!” Ann chuckled, earning her a dejected look from her friend, “Just speak to him. _Apologise._ ” Ann urged, her eyes kind.

_So, Leslie resolved to do just that._

                                                                             

* * *

 

Leslie had tried calling his office first thing the next morning, to set up an appointment, but had had no luck. His phone had just rung out. _Maybe he’s busy,_ she thought, _…or maybe he could see it was me and was just choosing not to answer, after what had gone down between us, the day before._

“ _Alright,_ what up Knope?” sighed Tom, turning his eyes away from his phone, obviously no longer able to block out the cold blast emanating from her half of the office, “you’ve been calling his office. _All. Day._ ”

“I’m trying to stop him firing anyone,” Leslie admitted, “-but I think I blew it…”

“Come on, _girl,_ that’s not going to happen,” answered Tom, a note of concern in his voice.

“Thanks, Tom, but you’re a chaos demon. Things always ‘just work out for you’, even after things go wrong…” replied Leslie, her voice small.

“Well, I ended up _here_. So, not always,” quipped Tom quick-as-a-flash, as he gestured to the ground, earning a frown from Leslie, “-but it was still pretty brave of you to try standing up to him, boss lady.”

“Thanks, Tom. _You know-_ ” but before Leslie could finish what she was saying, Tom was already gone. As she looked out into the office, she could see everyone else had left for the night. Saving her work for the day, she logged off her computer and shut it down for the night, grabbing her handbag and coat on the way out.

The drive back to her house was _wet_. Leslie was a little dejected that she hadn’t been able to apologise for what she’d said to Ben and couldn’t help that how she felt was affecting the weather. It was just something that seemed to happen. Leslie had a hankering for pizza and decided to swing by her usual spot on the way home, as she didn’t feel like doing _anything_ tonight. Not after the day she’d had.

She placed her order and sat down, waiting for it to be brought over, when she heard the chime of the door as another customer walked in.

He looked soaked through, as she watched the back of him walk up to the counter. _Poor guy,_ she thought.

“Can I get today’s special on the Calzone, please?” a deep, velvety voice asked – one Leslie tried to place – through the background din of the busy restaurant, before a familiar face glanced around to try and locate a seat.

 _Ben,_ she thought, panicked.

She hoped he hadn’t seen her watching him and tried to hide herself behind reading a menu. The _insane_ woman who had called him constantly throughout the day. The woman who he would probably now think had stalked him to ambush at dinner.

“ _This seat taken?_ ” he asked, pushing the top of the menu down slightly to smirk knowingly at her.

 _Crap!_ she thought, she hadn’t even heard his footsteps as he made his way over.

“You’ve been trying to reach me today, _right?_ ” he asked, eyebrow arched in an almost playful way, as he sat down opposite her.

Leslie fought hard to control her flush of embarrassment.

“I _may_ have been trying to set up a meeting, yes,” she responded confidently, after clearing her throat, her cheeks still visibly tinged pink.

“Well, I _may_ be sorry that I hadn’t been able to return your calls,” he offered back with a small smile, before glancing down, sheepishly.

“ _Oh,_ ” Leslie blinked, feeling her blush deepen at his earnestness, “well, I was just stopping in here to get dinner on my way home – I always come here – I wasn’t following you, I promise!” Leslie rushed out, unable to contain the words.

He looked at her a little oddly with those chestnut-coloured depths, before turning his gaze out to the rain outside.

“It’s been raining pretty hard out. I got soaked on the walk here,” Ben said, before swinging his eyes back to her.

As she looked at him, she could see the water still beading on his thick, dark hair. The moisture still clinging to his skin. She could sense how _cold_ he felt. She felt bad that she had unknowingly caused it.

“Yeah…” was all she could manage in response, before she averted her gaze away from him.

“ _Listen,_ about yesterday,” started Ben, prompting Leslie to look back up, “I wanted to apologise for what I said…

“Oh, well, really it should be _me_ that-” Leslie said, cutting across him.

“ _Can you let me finish?_ ” he half-growled and half-laughed exasperatedly - a genuine, warm sound that Leslie found she liked, instantly. His eyes were twinkling with amusement, as Ben found himself smiling at her.

“ _Sorry…_ ” Leslie responded, feeling slightly flustered by the change in events.

“ _Apology accepted,_ ” Ben chuckled as he sat back and draped his arm across his seat back, before continuing, “ _Anyway._ I shouldn’t have said it and I just wanted to tell you, I guess…”

“I’m sorry too,” Leslie smiled, her heart lifting, “I got defensive and I _didn’t mean_ what I said.”

“ _Oh,_ I think _you did_ ,” snorted Ben, fixing her with a look that would have sent a lesser woman into hysteria, “but you were right, I _was_ being a jerk.”

Leslie was thrown off-guard completely.

 _Was this the same man she had clashed with the day before?_  she wondered. They looked identical, but instead of the officious butt-head she had… butted heads with yesterday, before her sat a handsome, witty and dare she admit it – charming – man.

“ _So,_ would you mind if I took you to dinner to make up for it?” he asked, leaving the question to hang in the air between them as Leslie’s heart rate quickened, his rich walnut-wood eyes watching for her reaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read so far and to everyone who's left kudos/subs/etc. - it really means a lot to know people are enjoying reading it.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> So, I've tried to start spinning things out from here and still be true to Ben and Leslie agreeing to bury the hatchet.
> 
> See you at the next update!


	4. By the light of the silvery moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie and Ben enjoy their meal.
> 
> Then their ride home gets derailed.

Leslie blinked back at him for a few seconds, her mind scrambling for words. _Any words._

“I, _uh…_ ” was all she was able to respond with. They were words at least, she noted. Not the ones she was looking for, but words nonetheless.

His expression fell slightly, a flicker of disappointment showing across his face.

“I’m sorry, I – _that was dumb…_ ” Ben fumbled out, as Leslie smiled across at him – tight-lipped and awkward.

 _Damn it_ , she thought to herself, _why couldn’t I find any other words._

“Just forget I said anything - _can we start over?_ ” Ben continued, when Leslie didn’t respond, running a hand through his hair bashfully. Leslie didn’t miss that he seemed to be a bit twitchy now - _unsure of himself._

“No – it’s just that, I don’t get asked to dinner all that often,” Leslie responded in a nervous giggle, her delicate fingers fidgeting with the hem of her dress. Her face was now hidden under a curtain of golden waves, as she glanced away from him, feeling flustered and caught off-guard by the Ben that sat across from her.

“ _Oh,_ ” he answered, sharp eyebrows crinkling together slightly. Ben couldn’t believe that what she had just told him was true. _She must have guys lining up to ask her out,_ he noted to himself, as he watched her. She slowly raised her eyes back up to him and smiled softly. He found her arresting. Her eyes were the most _brilliant_ blue – even in the dull light of the restaurant. He was snapped out of his careful survey of her, by the arrival of their orders.

“Today’s Calzone special?” asked the middle-aged waitress, a practised smile plastered on her face, as she looked between them.

Ben half-raised his hand in response, glancing over to her to thank her as she placed the platter down in front of him with one hand and furnished him with his utensils.

“And your usual, Leslie. I’ll be back over with your drinks order in a minute,” she smiled much more warmly down at the blonde Deputy Director.

“Thanks, Bernice,” Leslie smiled back, before placing her napkin on her lap.

“Well, glad _I_ can,” Ben offered, as he began to cut into his Calzone, “-ask you to dinner. _You know_ , if you’ll have me?” he smirked, before loading himself up with a forkful.

 _Is he flirting with me now?_ Leslie wondered silently.

“I dunno,” Leslie replied, starting to cut into her own pizza, “-will it guarantee me less budgetary cuts?” she laughed, her head tilted in jest, before taking a bite.

Ben’s eyebrows raised in surprise. _Well, at least we’ve reached enough of a ceasefire to be able to share a joke,_ he observed as he devoured his next mouthful. He wondered if he’d be able to figure this out. _If things had been different…_

 _Well,_ he realised, _it did no good to dwell on that._ Things _were_ the way they were. He was here to cut budgets and save money - but if they could at least _get along_ while he did it, then Ben would be happy with that. It seemed to be that Leslie was in agreement, as they began to chat away – back and forth - a little more openly, as their meal went on. _Friendlily._

Leslie relaxed as their conversation went on. _Happier._ She decided that she liked Ben, after getting to know him a little better. _Maybe first impressions aren’t everything,_ she thought in silence - he certainly seemed to have forgotten about hers. _Ann had been right_ \- not that Leslie would ever doubt her best friend’s advice - but she had been worried it would take a lot longer for her and Ben to smooth things over after their admittedly rocky start.

“Rain’s stopped,” Ben announced, his dark eyes having turned to look out the restaurant window, now that he had finished his meal. Leslie followed them and could see that the clouds had indeed lifted, leaving behind a frosty dusting of stars and the pale, silver glow of the moon.

“ _Fancy that…_ ” she murmured quietly, before noticing him watching her out of the corner of his eye. He glanced away quickly when she did, caught red-handed.

“I’ll get the check,” Ben muttered, beginning to get himself in a flap.

“Tonight was nice,” Leslie smiled, her hand reaching across to rest on one of his briefly, as he clumsily began to pull out the bills from his wallet. He stilled immediately, his eyes flicking up to hers. _“-thank you,_ ” she finished, beaming across at him.

Ben found himself returning her smile, “It was… Did you park nearby – I can walk you back?”

“ _Oh,_ I’m just down the street – you don’t need to-” Leslie rushed out, again feeling herself getting ruffled under his rich, chocolate gaze.

“Nonsense - I just want to make sure you get back to your car okay, so that we can continue our verbal sparring match tomorrow,” he smirked back, eyes glinting in challenge as he pulled his – slightly drier – jacket back on.

“Well, in that case, sure you don’t want a lift back to your hotel?” Leslie suggested, on eyeing how damp his clothing still looked. It earned her a brief look of surprise in response. “Just don’t want my opponent _catching a chill_ and _missing_ said sparring match,” she giggled, gesturing towards him, “-otherwise _I win_ by default.”

“ _Is that so?_ ” Ben asked, eyebrow raised as he stood and waited for her to join him.

“Well, those _are_ the rules,” Leslie replied haughtily, as she moved to join him – impressing even herself with how confident she sounded.

Ben only released an amused snort in response, following behind her closely as they exited out to the street. He realised then how petite she was, despite her heels, as he sauntered after her. It was _cute_. She stopped outside her car, rooting around in her bag for her keys.

“Owwuhuhuh!” came a loud groaning from further along. They both jumped when they heard it – startled by its abrupt punctuation of the peaceful night-time streetscape.

“Sounds like somebody’s hurt…” noted Ben, his concerned dark eyes fixed on Leslie, before focusing on a shape further down the street. Following his gaze, Leslie could now make out a figure stumbling out of a side alley. Her senses were bristling – _something_ was out there, and it wasn’t something good.

“ _Andy?!_ ” Leslie yelled, as she recognised the tall, sandy haired, plaid-lad figure slumped against the wall at the corner with the street. Starting to run towards him, she could hear Ben begin to jog after her.

“ _Leslie?_ ” asked a confused looking Andy Dwyer, clutching his hand in pain. Leslie glanced down and could see it was bleeding. Badly.

“ _What happened?_ ” she demanded, her bad feeling only growing worse, although her expression was soft as she stepped closer to him, “ _Let me see?_ ”

Ben could only look an as his smaller companion gently reached out and took the larger man’s hand in her own – turning it over to get a better look. The young man – Andy - hissed through his teeth in pain, as she touched the area near where the bleeding was emanating from, gingerly. Ben grew pale. It looked _bad_.

“Right, I need you to push down here,” Leslie commanded, deciding whether or not to just heal Andy on the spot. Ultimately opting not to put on such a blatantly obvious display of her gifts, Leslie decided to go for her back-up option and began to sift through her handbag for her emergency kit.

“I tried to pet this dog…” Andy ground out through gritted teeth, pressing down on the torn skin to keep pressure on it – in an attempt to stem the flow of blood – which still trickled through his fingers, “ _Owwww…_ but it _really_ didn’t want to be petted.”

“You tried to pet a stray?” Ben asked, his expression incredulous. Leslie shot him a look that seemed to say, ‘don’t ask’.

“ _Well,_ it looked cuddly…” Andy replied, his voice small and child-like – innocent in his cadence, “-at least at first…”

“Oh, _Andy…_ ” Leslie muttered, as she began to bandage up his hand, “We’ll need to get you looked at – you might need a Tetanus shot.”

“Does that mean I might see Ann?” the shaggy-haired man asked, his eyes hopeful, despite his sniffles of pain.

“ _Maybe,_ ” Leslie said softly, realising now that Andy _still_ held a candle for her best friend. Turning away from him to walk nearer to Ben, she shook her head on her way over. “ _Sorry…_ ” she apologised, lifting her eyes up to meet his, “-guess your ride home got a little longer…”

“ _I call shotgun!_ ” shouted Andy enthusiastically, as he barrelled past them to Leslie’s car. She could only drop her head to laugh, in response.

“Is he alright?” Ben mouthed to her, unsure what to make of this new character. Leslie touched his arm – as if to reassure him – before making her way back up the street to her parked vehicle.

The ride over to the hospital was quieter, with Andy having been largely satisfied by being able to sit in the front seat. Ben marvelled from the back about the sheer number of questions Andy asked about things that seemed to just pop into his head as they drove by them. His personal favourite so far had been ‘Is chocolate milk from chocolate coloured cows, or do they just feed normal cows chocolate?’

Dropping him off at the ER, Leslie wanted to stay a little longer, but Andy assured her that he’d be fine and that she should go drop off her date. A comment which earned a skittish laugh and babbled excuses from both Leslie _and_ Ben. After he had been carted into an assessment room, Leslie turned back to Ben.

“ _I’m really sorry_ – I work with Andy – He’s a gentle giant, naïve, but he means well…” she tried to explain, her senses still on edge from earlier.

“It’s fine, I’m just glad we could get him to the hospital,” Ben smiled down at her kindly, his eyes warm. He was touched by how much Leslie cared about one of her employees and how close they seemed to be. _Good friends._

“ _Leslie!_ ” shouted the familiar voice of Ann Perkins, as she spotted them standing by the entrance to the waiting area.

“ _Oh!_ Ann’s here!” Leslie grinned excitedly, before running over to what Ben could only assume was another of her friends. He couldn’t quite make out what was being said, due to the background noise from the hospital, but he could see frenzied gesticulating between the two women and frequent glances over in his direction. Ann nudged Leslie a few times and made a suggestive expression as they fixed their eyes on him again – causing him to blush in embarrassment, before Leslie gave her best friend a playful shove to stop.

“-the shot I’ve given you should stop infection and you can take these for the next few weeks to dull the pain,” ordered the Doctor, as he held the door open for Andy, “-if it starts bleeding again or the pain gets worse, you come straight back in here.”

“Thanks, Doc,” said Andy, around the lollipop sticking out of his mouth, before moving back over to stand next to Ben.

“ _What_ did you _do_ this time?” asked Ann, exasperation evident in her tone, as she and Leslie came over to join the two men.

“Oh, _well,_ I tried to pet this dog…” Andy started to clarify, rubbing the back of his neck agitatedly as he felt the weight of Ann’s questioning gaze. “-Funny thing is, Doc says it looks more like a bite from a coyote or a _wolf –_ isn’t that awesome?”

Ben didn’t miss the look that passed between the women then. They looked even more worried now. _But why,_ he wondered, _Andy had gotten medical treatment, hadn’t he?_

“ _A wolf?_ ” Leslie asked, a sudden edge to her voice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read so far and to everyone who's left kudos/subs/etc. - it really means a lot to know people are enjoying reading it.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> Poor Andy...
> 
> See you at the next update!


	5. Like Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie comes up with a plan for Andy's care.
> 
> Leslie and Ben's night gets weirder...

“Well, _yeah_ , that’s what the doc said,” replied Andy, brushing a hand through his wild curls.

“I’d better call my mom...” Leslie said, finally swinging her eyes away from the tall young man. A fine line had appeared between her brows, ever since Andy’s announcement. Ben could tell that something was bothering her, from the tighter way she now held herself.

“Okay, well I’ll run Andy back to his parent’s place...” Ann started to offer, at which Andy’s ears seemed to immediately prick up.

“No!” Leslie cut her off excitedly, earning her a sharp frown from her best friend and a bewildered shake of the head from Ben, “I, uh, we don’t want to trouble you any more tonight – _right, Ben?_ ”

“Oh, I’m cool if Ann wants to keep taking care of me-”, Andy cut in, before Ann gave him a sharp jab to the ribs. He immediately grew sheepish, like a scolded child.

“Leslie, _I’ll be fin-_ ” her beautiful, healing moth began to say, before she was once again shot down.

“ _Nonsense_ , we’ll take him to Ron’s place – he’ll know what to do,” smiled Leslie, before enveloping Ann in a crushing hug. When they eventually parted, Ann made Leslie promise to call her if anything happened, to which she pinky-swore an oath. Ben had to stifle the grin that spread on his features - although diminutive, Leslie took charge of the situation.

“Come on, Andy. Let’s get you to Ron’s cabin...” muttered Leslie, the fine line having returned once more. As she brushed past Ben, Leslie could only mouth a ' _sorry about all this..._ ' to him. He gave her a small smile back which let her know that he wasn’t _that_ bothered by their expanding detour back to his hotel.

Andy had once again called 'shotgun', relegating Ben to the back seat. Leslie kept glancing at him in her rear-view mirror, as if to check he hadn’t vanished, before they slowly began to make their way out of the hospital parking lot. “I’ll need to give Ron a call on our way over, I hope you don’t mind?” she asked, an edge of anxiousness to her voice.

Ben shook his head in response and Leslie gently swatted Andy’s hand away from the stereo controls so that she could check her cell phone was paired to the Bluetooth and she was able to use her hands-free service. “Can you hit Ron’s number for me, Andy?” she asked, sending him a sideways glance. She noted that Andy had the window down and his head sticking out, as they pulled onto the main road, “ _Andy!_ ” she yelled, when she realised.

“ _Hmmm?_ Oh, sorry, it’s just I like trying to figure out why dogs do that. It feels nice, it must be because it feels nice with the breeze hitting your face,” Andy offered, upon returning his full attention to the smaller woman.

“ _No,_ Andy,” Leslie giggled, “Can you call Ron's number for me, please?”

“ _Oh._ Oh! Sure!” Andy laughed, his cheeks briefly tinging with red at the realisation of her question.

Ben caught Leslie’s icy orbs watching him once more through the mirror, a hint of mirth in their depths, despite the tension in her brow. He couldn’t help but laugh at Andy’s admission – it was like sharing a car with his little sister when they’d been younger. He shared a brief, knowing look with Leslie, before the dial tone of Leslie’s phone cut through.

“ _Hello?_ ” came the very confused voice of Ron Swanson, “Leslie? _What’s wrong?_ ”

“ _Hi Ron!_ ” Leslie laughed, a nervous undercurrent to her voice, “Listen- Andy had a bit of a _mishap_ earlier tonight and I was hoping he’d be able to stay at your place ‘til morning?”

She was met with an audible sigh at the other end, before Ron spoke again, “What _kind_ of mishap did Andrew have this time?”

“ _Well…_ ” Leslie began with, trying to choose her words wisely.

“Oh- _Hi Ron!_ ” exclaimed Andy, stretching over to be closer to the speaker, as if it would make it easier for Ron to hear him, “I got bit by a coyote or a _wolf_. Doc said so – isn’t that _awesome_?”

Ron was silent at the other end of the line, leaving Leslie and Ben to glance again at each other for a few seconds, in an uneasy silence. “Bring him to mine - I’ll keep an eye on him ‘til morning,” Ron answered gruffly, not acknowledging Andy’s comment.

“Okay, Ron – _thank -you_. See you soon!” Smiled Leslie, receiving only an ‘ _mmhmm_ ’ from the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department in response, before the call clicked, disconnected.

Winding the window back down, Andy began sticking his head back outside – continuing his earlier study and leaving Leslie and Ben to sit in relative silence for the rest of the ride over to Ron’s remote cabin. It was with some relief that Ben breathed in the cool night air, as they got out of the car after the ride down the long and winding single track dirt road off the highway outside of Pawnee, which lead deep into the forest surrounding Lake Wamapoke.

Ron was waiting for them outside his cabin, at the end of the track – his trunk-like arms folded sternly across his broad chest and his expression unreadable as he stood silhouetted outside of his front porch, illuminated from the rear by the feeble porch-light.

 _He looks ominous,_ Ben noted as their car had drawn to a halt, moments before

Andy bounded out the car ahead of Leslie - and if Ben thought it were possible – even more excitable than he had been earlier, as he began looking at all the trophies Ron had mounted on the front porch of the cabin.

“We’re sorry to intrude on your evening Ron,” Leslie started her apology, eyeing the cloud-shrouded moon briefly – something Ben’s sharp eyes didn’t miss, as he followed after her. Ron released a noise akin to a low growl when he spotted him. “ _It’s okay, Ron._ I’m just running Ben back to his place…”

Ron’s body language seemed to loosen a little at Leslie’s words, although his firm gaze was still levelled directly on Ben even as she spoke them. Not shrinking from it – despite the flicker of angst he felt under it – Ben found the courage to speak up for himself, “We bumped into each other at dinner and then found Andy as I walked Leslie back to her car once the rain had stopped.”

Leslie’s blue eyes flashed over to his, almost shocked that he had told Ron that they’d been to dinner together. Ben held her gaze for a moment, before Ron responded – as if Ben’s answer had satisfied any misgivings he might have had about his presence on his property, “Well, thank-you, Mr Wyatt. I’ll take Andrew inside and get his things… _squared away…_ ”

“You’ll call me if anything happens?” Leslie asked, as she began to walk backwards slowly towards her car, tugging Ben with her. Ben moved to walk normally, but Leslie shook her head, nodding down to gesture to the way she was walking – deliberately, without showing Ron her back.

 _Odd…_ Ben thought to himself, _Very odd…_

“ _Hn._ Goodbye, Leslie,” Ron nodded, as they both climbed into the car.

As the headlights to the car turned back on, Ben nearly jumped out of his skin when they glinted in Ron’s eyes like an animal’s would at night. _Andy’s too._ Leslie had been too busy waving goodbye to them both to notice, as she had swung her car around, but Ben couldn’t keep it inside as they began the last leg of their journey together.

“Did you _see_ that?” he asked, the pitch of his voice rising more than he was comfortable with.

“ _See what?_ ” Leslie asked, doing a slight double-take at his jumpiness.

“Their _eyes!_ It was like a deer’s, or a wolf’s or something,” Ben exclaimed, turning to her with an increasingly freaked-out look on his face.

“Oh, psssh, it was just a trick of the light…” Leslie laughed his comment off, responding to Ben’s expression with a bright smile, as if to reassure him, “-it’s just been a bit of a _rough night_ on everyone, that’s all…”

Realising how much of a goof he must look right now, Ben reached up to rub the back of his neck nervously, chuckling slightly as he did.

“ _Yeah,_ I guess you’re right…” He grew much more relieved though, when they finally hit the highway again – although the image of those inhuman eyes didn’t leave him. Eventually, they pulled into the parking lot at Ben’s hotel – his heart rate having finally settled.

“ _Despite it all_ , I thought tonight was _nice_ ,” Leslie smiled over at him, her eyes warm and inviting.

“Yeah, I just hope I don’t get out and this turns into a pumpkin or something…” Ben chuckled timidly as he climbed out of her car, his eyes flicking over his shoulder to see Leslie eyeing him strangely, before he realised he should probably elaborate further, “ _-the car I mean._ It was a _joke._ Like Cinderella…”

Leslie let out the loudest laugh Ben had heard in a long time - at his dumb joke - and found himself joining her in it, leaning into the open window of the passenger’s side for support.

“Well, I’m glad you found your evening _magical_ , _princess…_ ” She laughed, a mischievous glint to her eyes as she poked fun at his stupid reference.

“ _How dare you…_ ” Ben deadpanned, fixing her with a supremely bemused look.

“Sorry, _sorry…_ It’s just- I’m glad we were able to put things behind us, after earlier,” Leslie answered, her eyes and smile - bright like starlight - as she watched him. He found her utterly enchanting in that moment.

“Yeah, _me too,_ ” Ben smirked back, as he ran his eyes over her, as if to preserve the moment. Leslie felt a heated flush creeping up her skin as he looked at her.

“Well, I’d better head back,” Leslie announced, sheepishly. Despite _every_ fibre in her being wanting to prolong her time chatting to the state auditor she had now befriended, Leslie knew that she had best leave and seek the counsel of her mother, after the events of the night.

“Yeah, I’ll see you in the morning?” Ben asked hopefully, pushing up and away from the window.

“Of course – _but are you ready for round two?_ ” Leslie asked, as she started her car – the haughty edge having returned to her voice once again. She laughed as Ben stood, eyebrow raised in challenge, as she wound the window up to cut off his retort and then made her way home.

He was on her mind the whole way back.

                                                                             

* * *

 

 

It was only as Leslie cleared her threshold and was greeted by the loudly mewling Sphinxy that she remembered that she should call her mother.

Picking her small companion up, she carried her through to the living room and set her down next to her in front of the fireplace. Clicking her fingers, Leslie instantly ignited the logs neatly piled within, coaxing it into a gently roaring blaze. Contented at the attention and the warmth, Sphinxy settled down on the mat next to Leslie.

Sitting down next to her gently purring cat, Leslie got herself into a cross-legged position and focused on the flames and her intent to contact Marlene Griggs-Knope.

After a few moments, the flames crackled more brightly before settling once more – although this time Leslie was greeted by the smiling face of her mother, within them.

“Leslie? Is everything alright?” Marlene asked, her voice belying her concern.

“ _Hi, mom…_ ” Leslie responded, smiling happily at her matriarch, “Well, yes… and no… and yes…”

“You seem happy,” Marlene began for her, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took her in, “-but something’s _bothering_ you…”

“ _Well,_ I met a boy…” Leslie answered, almost bashful in her manner, “and Andy got bitten by _a wolf…_ ”

“ _Oh, honey…_ ” Marlene gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth in shock, “-is he alright?”

“I took him to Ron’s cabin – after taking him to the hospital – he’ll keep an eye on him ‘til morning. _He’s fine_ \- or at least the doctor said so. Ben thought he saw his eyes had changed, but…”

“ _Oh,_ so he’s called _Ben_ then – the boy?” Marlene asked, her eyes awash with curiosity – unable to hide the gleeful smirk spreading on her features, or the playful tone to her voice.

“ _Mom!_ ” Leslie shrieked – hiding her face beneath her hands - flabbergasted that her mother was more concerned with her private life than the fate of Andy Dwyer.

“Oh, try not to _fuss_ Leslie – Ron’s place is the best place _for_ Andy,” Marlene shushed her, although her eyes were kind, “ _one way_ or _the other_.”

“ _You think so?_ ” Leslie asked, an uncertainty to her question, as she brought her hands back down.

“He’s in good hands, Leslie,” her mother smiled, reassuringly, “-although I’m more concerned about this _wolf_ that bit him…”

“ _Me too,_ that’s why I called-” Leslie started, fidgeting with the edge of her coat, realising then that in her hurry to call her mother that she hadn’t taken it off.

“You’re _sure_ it wasn’t to tell me about Ben - _the future Vice President?_ ” Marlene asked, an accusatory timbre to her voice and her head tilted in question.

“ _Ann told you!?_ ” Leslie squealed, unable to hide the mortification in her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read so far and to everyone who's left comments/kudos/subs/etc. - it really means a lot to know people are enjoying reading it.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> Oh Leslie... what does your mother have in store? Here's hoping Ron can help Andy out!
> 
> See you at the next update!


	6. A Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ron quizzes Leslie about her rendezvous with a certain state auditor. 
> 
> Andy regales April with the events of the previous night.

Andy bounded into the Parks and Recreation office the next morning – and if it were possible – filled with more of his characteristic exuberant and boisterous nature than normal.

Spotting that April wasn’t at her desk yet, he popped his head into Ron’s office.

“Hey Ron, is April due in?” he asked, an inflection in his voice as he enquired as to his friends whereabouts. His face almost pleading for a response of ‘yes’.

“Good morning, Andrew... ” smiled Ron in a relatively chipper tone – well, as close to one as one could get from him - without looking up from the report he was currently reading, “...if she’s not at her desk, I’m sure she’s due in. Leslie was going to be picking her up while her dad’s car is in the shop.”

Andy’s eyes looked around Ron’s office, even more fascinated by the sights and smells than he had been the last time he’d set foot in it. He began to wander around, gently picking items of interest up to take a closer look, or dropping onto his haunches for further investigation.

Ron’s eyes flicked up as he caught the sound of laughter sweeping down the hall to the office and then a lower, grumbling tone following behind it. Andy’s ears, too, pricked up and he followed he sound to its source, as an ever-cheerful Leslie greeted her team, with the dour and dry-humoured April Ludgate close behind.

Spotting his friend, Andy sprang up and out to regale her about the previous night, or at least, what he could remember of it.

“Morning Andy,” smiled Leslie, as she passed him on her way into Ron’s office.

“Oh, hi, boss!” replied Andy, flashing her a bright grin, before his attention turned back to April once more.

Leslie couldn’t help but happily sigh as she gently closed the door to Ron’s office behind her, watching her young friends interacting. It was obvious to her – and to anyone with eyes, really – that Andy and April had grown close. Despite everything that had happened between Andy and her dear Ann, she was happy that he seemed to finally be showing an interest in someone else. Even if it was hard to tell whether April shared even a modest level of interest, in return.

“He was _fine_ , Leslie” Ron stated flatly, as if sensing what she had come in to discuss, glancing up as he closed the copy of the draft report Leslie had sent him last night after her call with her mother. He looked tired, she noted, but not exhausted – which she supposed was a good thing, “...the change is different for us all, but he’s a good kid.”

“Thanks, Ron,” his blonde Deputy smiled brightly back at him, before a frown began to spread across her features, her expression growing more downcast, “I just worry if it’ll _change_ him… you know?”

“Didn’t change me,” Ron cut across her, his eyes suddenly a shade sharper than they had been and an edge to his tone.

Leslie winced slightly in realisation at how her words must have sounded to Ron, before his gaze softened once more.

“He’s just a pup… he’s got time to learn,” Ron muttered gruffly, before returning his eyes to the report once more, using his wide hand to thumb back to the page he’d had it open at.

“…And he’s got a good teacher,” Leslie responded, reaching out to clasp her hand over his, gently. They both briefly returned their eyes out to the animated Andy, as he acted out the events of the previous night and Leslie couldn’t held but smile when she spotted April’s small smirk at his tale.

“More to the point, Leslie-“ Ron announced after a few moments of peacefully watching the young pair outside his office, “- _what_ were you doing with the state auditor last night?”

Leslie willed her body not to flinch at the question, but she knew deep inside that wouldn’t hide everything from Ron – his senses were far too keen for that.

“I bumped into him at Dino’s!” Leslie offered, scouring her mind for some form of answer after far too long a pause beforehand.

“ _Funny_ ,” Ron snorted, as he closed the report once more. His eyes narrowed and his arms folded across his broad chest again, “I recall Ben saying something similar…”

 

* * *

 

“...And then the doc said that it probably wasn’t a dog that bit me,” replied Andy, brushing his hand across the back of his neck, bashfully “-I guess it did seem kind of big for a dog...”

“So what was it then?” asked April, watching him from the corner of her eye, schooling her expression to seem less interested than she actually was in his story.

“Doc said it was a wolf maybe,” Andy replied, watching her as if to gauge her interest as he glanced down at his bandaged hand, “...it hurt like hell at first, but now it’s just a little tender – I think it’ll leave a really cool scar. You wanna see?”

“ _Eww_... Gross!” April laughed, recoiling and wrinkling her nose in disgust when Andy offered his wounded appendage for her to review. She felt a pang of guilt when she registered the flicker of dejection which darkened his features. Playing it off as best she could, she growled softly and rolled her eyes at him dramatically, “Urgh... _of course_ I want to see it!”

“Oh,” Andy replied softly, his tone much more upbeat again. His fingers fumbled with the bandaged fabric while April slowly inched closer, their eyes meeting each time he glanced up as he unwound the wrappings. He frowned intensely at the back of his hand for a full minute, utterly confounded by what he saw.

“What is it?” April asked – intrigued - when his silence persisted, putting down her magazine to try and peer over his hand.

“Well... Looks like it’s healed...” Andy murmured, his gaze crossing April’s once more, “...weird...” he shrugged nonchalantly.

April’s eyes widened – almost imperceptibly so – as she leaned over to get a better look. She could see that his skin was still purple – almost blackened – by the bloom of the bruising’s dark rosettes, in the exact position of where he described being bitten. However, there was no sign of any gory wound healing, all that remained was his darkened skin and a ragged semicircle of silver-white marks. Like a bite into an apple. “Oh my God, Andy,” she exclaimed quietly, her hand snapping out to snatch his and pull it over nearer so she could inspect the other side more closely, “-that’s _so_ cool!”

“You really think so?” Andy asked, an uncharacteristic shyness evident in his voice as he watched her.

“I mean, I _guess_ so,” April responded, trying her damnedest to force an edge of indifference back into her voice now that she could feel the weight of his gaze upon her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the attention – quite the opposite was true – _especially_ where Andy Dwyer was concerned. April just didn’t understand yet the best way to respond to it, she was still navigating early adulthood. It helped though, that Andy was not the kind of person whose confidence was dented by such things, or who would disengage with her over her more taciturn personality.

“Awesome!” Andy grinned broadly.

April half-returned his smile, but could already feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she tried to fight the oncoming blush that his actions had provoked. Thrusting his hand back at him suddenly, a few wayward strands of her hair brushed across the top of his hand. It was soft and left a warm sensation as it trailed across his skin.

“Bye,” April announced as she abruptly got up and left, her entire body language rigid and awkward as Andy’s eyes followed her out of the room the whole way.

“Bye then,” Andy said to himself quietly, a crestfallen expression settling on his features. This scenario had been happening more and more often with April and he had to admit, he wasn’t a fan. They used to be able to talk and joke and hang out, but now he could barely get ten minutes with her before she’d run out on him. It was definitely not awesome.

“Morning Andy,” greeted a jovial Jerry Gergich as he walked in from his coffee run for himself and Donna, “sorry to bother you if you’re still on your break, but I passed Kyle at your shoeshine stand and he said he’d been waiting for forty-“

“Jeeze, Jerry, _I’m going_...” groaned Andy, as he dragged himself out of his seat at by April’s desk and sauntered glumly out of the department.

“Was it something I said?” asked the kind-hearted older man, a sad look on his face as he turned to Donna.

“Word of advice, Jer, next time don’t open with ‘sorry to bother you’ when you’re _obviously_ chasing the dude back to work,” snickered Tom, shaking his head as he walked out of the meeting room and headed to his shared office with Leslie, “-makes you seem like a _real_ jerk.” Tom paused at the doorway, casting a look up and down Jerry, with a disapproving expression on his face, as he gestured to Jerry’s pants, “Also, you’ve spilled coffee on yourself – at least I _hope_ its coffee...”

Jerry glanced down at his pant leg and frowned slightly, trying to wipe it with one of the napkins he’d brought back, but only making it worse.

“Jerry, this coffee is _cold_ ,” Donna stated flatly, after taking a single sip and then delicately spitting it back out again, before levelling him with a withering look as she placed the paper coffee cup down.

“Sorry, Donna,” Jerry offered, “-do you want me to get you another one? “

“Should you have _really_ had to ask that?” Donna responded, briefly breaking her gaze away from the workload she had just returned it to, her hazelnut brown eyes narrowed momentarily at her nearest deskmate’s question, before her expression softened, “Thanks though, I’ll get them in tomorrow.”

“Back soon,” Jerry smiled at her nervously, then shuffled out the office again.

“ _Chills_ , Queen D, watching you work gave me _chills_!” Tom laughed loudly from his office.

“Would you expect anything else?” she quipped back, quick as a viper. “S’up Knope,” Donna acknowledged, as Leslie power-walked straight past her and out of Parks and Recreation.

 

* * *

 

 

“ _Uh-oh..._ ” were the only words which Leslie was able to find, as she searched helplessly for a rational explanation to her and Ben arriving at Ron’s together the night prior.

“I’m sure you _both_ understand how last night’s _close proximity_ could _look_ to someone from the outside,” Ron responded firmly, although a hint of mischief twinkled in his eyes.

“We both went there separately-” Leslie blurted out, flustered, causing Ron’s eyebrows to raise marginally in what she hoped was amusement as opposed to surprise, “...I mean, we were both there on our own.”

“...And you just _happened_ to ‘bump into’ each other?” Ron pressed, gesturing slightly with his crossed arms towards her.

“Yes,” Leslie responded more calmly, her hands clasped together.

“Then _why_ are your knuckles _white_ and _why_ has my glass of water started to _shake_?” asked Ron, uncrossing his arms and leaning towards her, with a snort of laughter.

“...Because...” Leslie paused, planning what to say, when she and Ron both turned at the sound of a chair scraping across the ground and caught sight of the blur of April Ludgate sweeping past Ron’s office windows. Andy Dwyer followed her not long after.

Hearing a gruff, drawn-out sigh behind her, Leslie turned slowly back around to face Ron.

“I’m not normally one to encourage or condone interfering in the affairs of others, Leslie, but you’d best go check on them both,” Ron ground out in defeat, before continuing, “... _especially_ given Andrew’s... _condition_.”

“Thanks, Ron,” Leslie smiled at him, getting her things together before she turned to head out the door after the pair. Just as she was about to open it, Ron spoke once more: a warning.

“ _Be careful_ , Leslie,” he urged her, his expression sombre.

“ _Come on_ , Ron, it’s _Andy_ were talking about here...” she responded, trying her best to laugh his ominous remark off.

“No, it’s _not_ ,” he replied, his tone solemn, “be careful with _Ben_.”

 

* * *

 

Leslie tried to shake off Ron’s words as a portent as she frantically paced through the City Council building in the direction she thought April would have gone in. Coming to a junction, she quickly glanced down the corridor in front of her and then the one to her right and on seeing neither of her younger friends, began to turn into the one to her left. She immediately collided with something warm and solid, before she landed on her rear – the contents of her clipboard and handbag now strewn all over the corridor.

“I’m so sorry-” apologised a familiar deep, rich voice, before her eyes met surprised roasted coffee coloured ones, “-Ms Knope.”

_Ben_ , she realised belatedly as he helped her gather her belongings back up, _Crap_.

“I think that’s everything-” he trailed off, as he handed her back her errant checklist, but not before eyeing it for a beat too long, “ _very thorough_ , particularly the last two items: find Ben, talk to Ben,” he smirked down at her, a devilish glint in those eyes.

_Double-crap_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sorry for the delay, but I'm only just beginning to get free time again after having finally had my wedding and freeing up a bit of time at the tail end of my honeymoon to start posting again - hopefully it'll be worth it!*
> 
> A big, huge thank you to everyone who's left comments/kudos/subs/etc. - it really means a lot to know people are enjoying reading it.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> A warning isn’t as bad as a portent... right? 
> 
> *Peeks through fingers covering face*
> 
> See you at the next update!


	7. Strictly Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Leslie begin the hunt for Andy and April.
> 
> Chris makes an intriguing new acquaintance.

 “Ben!” Leslie exclaimed, with surprise written all over her features, her blue eyes wide and blinking.

“ _Uh..._ ” Ben replied, filled with uncertainty of how to proceed in conversation, now that he had the very woman whom his thoughts had kept drifting back toward all morning, before him. He fidgeted with his watchstrap as they stood together in an awkward silence, each regarding the other as if praying they would say something first – the moments dragging out until _finally_ his mind settled on a topic.

_Please_ , Leslie thought, as they continued to shift on their feet self-consciously, _just say_ _something..._. The panic of what to do if Ron saw them _again_ \- right after his warning – rooted her to the spot.

“I think I saw that Andy guy that works for you,” Ben began, gesturing with his head, his keen eyes not missing how Leslie’s eyes brightened at his words, “-I’m glad he’s okay. He did kind of look like something was bothering him though...”

“You did? _Where?_ How long ago?” Leslie fired out, startling Ben with how rapidly her questions came. Her eyes were fixed firmly on his now and in her excitement, she didn’t realise how much she had closed the gap between them.

“I think he was headed out the building, about five minutes ago,” Ben offered, a small smile playing on his lips. She returned it with a dazzling grin of her own and it was only then that he realised how close she was. He could now see that those ocean-blue eyes receded to a lighter Atoll-pale shade around her pupils – he then realised he felt _very_ warm. Another moment passed and a small crinkle appeared between her brows, seemingly lost in thought, which then slowly cracked into a full-blown frown. Ben felt his stomach drop at the sight.

Leslie warred inwardly about whether to ask for Ben’s help or not, with trying to find Andy and April. On one hand, she’d be able to cover more ground if she had help, but on the other it was with the _exact_ person Ron had _warned_ her to be careful with. Deciding that the higher priority was to check on the well-being of her two younger friends, Leslie wrestled down her worries about ‘disappointing Ron’ and refocused her attention on Ben.

“ _Are you busy?_ ” she asked, admittedly more forcefully than she would have liked. She saw the wave of relief wash over him, his body language relaxing from the tight control of ‘the Auditor’ and into that of the young man she wanted to get to know better.

 

“I’m just out of my meetings for today actually,” Ben answered, the words tumbling from his mouth, “I mean, I’ve got paperwork to follow up with, but I could take my lunch break early…” he continued, his voice trailing off as she looked at him expectantly.

“Great!” Leslie cried, her hand snapping out to clasp around Ben’s arm, tugging him along behind her as she sped off down the hall in the direction of the main entrance to City Hall. Ben barely had time to register the bewildered expression on Chris’s face as he watched his rangy colleague and the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department sweep past – he was far too busy trying not to trip and fall as he was swept along in the tide of Leslie’s enthusiasm. They flew down corridor after corridor, the colours from the morally questionable murals of the town’s history surging past him in a disorienting blur of technicolour, until they were suddenly outside in the bright daylight.

Leslie stopped dead, nearly causing Ben to collide into her back – he just caught himself on the balls of his feet, using them to halt his momentum. He squinted his dark eyes in the daylight as they adjusted to the stark change in light level.

“ _Well,_ which way do you think he went?” the short, blonde haired public servant asked him, as she looked up and down the street outside, releasing him and stepping away to look around.

“I dunno,” Ben answered, then thinking for a moment, “-maybe he went home?”

“ _Outstanding, Ben!_ ” Leslie laughed, whirling round on him for a moment like he had given her the lead to her case, before pulling him along with her once more, her hair flowing behind her like spun gold.

Over the sound of their own footsteps on the hot concrete pavement, Ben’s ears picked up the sound of a soft shuffling. “Do you _hear_ that?” he asked her, his voice low and his eyebrow arched. Slowing their gait, they looked around for the source – seemingly coming from between a couple of parked cars further ahead. As they drew nearer, Ben thought it sounded distinctly like shoes scuffing across the ground.

“ _Andy?_ ” Leslie wondered aloud, her heels clicking as she paced softly forwards – careful not to startle him, given his ongoing _symptoms_. Ben followed her just a short distance behind. Coming alongside the nearest car, she spotted a dejected Andy Dwyer, sitting alone on the kerbside. His shoulders were hunched over his knees, his arms bent and hanging over them. His head hung low as he stared at the ground, his feet sweeping aimlessly backwards and forwards. Whatever was going on between him and April, she hoped she’d be able to help.

“ _Leslie?_ ” Andy answered, looking up at her as if it took him a few moments to recognise her, his expression distant.

“Can I sit with you?” she asked, pausing to wait for his permission and taking the time to brush some dirt off the kerb, before she took up her seat next to him. She glanced round briefly to spot Ben over her left shoulder, hanging back, looking at his feet. Gesturing for him to come over, he took a few steps towards them and sat down about an arm length away, his fingers playing nervously with his rolled-up sleeve.

“Sure,” Andy sighed, throwing her a small sideways smile and on spotting Ben sitting with them, “Oh, hey man.” Ben gave a small, tight-lipped smile, as he raised his hand in recognition.

“Is something the matter?” Leslie asked, her voice soft, like a mother asking her child if they’re upset.

Andy released a low groan, before scraping his hand through his golden-brown curls, “I guess I thought I had April figured out – like, we hang out a bunch, take our lunch breaks together and she always comes see me at the shoe shine…”

April must be the young, ebony-haired girl that he’d seen around Leslie’s office, Ben realised. She was also the girl who had spent an unnerving amount of time just staring at him, when Chris and he had first visited the department, never blinking. A shiver went through him at the eerie memory.

“So, what happened then?” Leslie prodded, a kind smile on her lips and what Ben could tell was genuine concern for her friend.

“She’s just been kind of _flaky_ recently – always running out on our hang outs – I don’t know if it’s something I’ve _said_ , or something I’ve _done_ , y’know?” Andy continued, with what sounded like a low growl of frustration in his voice – prompting a double-take from Ben. He rolled his shoulders out, before moving to stretch his legs out and leaning backwards on his hands, seemingly releasing some of the tension he felt.

“Maybe she had something she forgot she needed to do – I’m always doing that!” Leslie laughed nervously, not having missed his agitated growl. She didn’t want to have him get any more worked up – she wasn’t sure what would happen if he did.

Ben listened quietly for a few moments, as Leslie tried different ways of telling Andy not to worry, but it didn’t seem to be working for the earnest young man. Deciding on a different approach, Ben chimed in, “Have you tried asking her?”

“Oh, Ben, April’s quite hard to-” Leslie began to explain, leaning towards him, shaking her head for emphasis.

“D’you think that would work?” Andy asked, loudly, cutting across her. A hopeful look had spread across his features.

“Yeah – at least that way you should get an answer,” Ben answered dryly, trying hard not to show his amusement at how clueless the childlike Andy seemed, particularly when it came to dealings with the opposite sex. He completely missed the look of appreciation that Leslie flashed at him.

She decided she appreciated how direct Ben could be – he didn’t beat around the bush, or dance around the issues, not like Dave could. She’d missed Dave when he’d first moved out of town, but as the months had passed, she realised that she had survived, and her life had continued without him. That had been a long time ago now and she had grown comfortable with being single. Although, even despite Ron’s earlier warning, she couldn’t help the ephemeral imaginings that Ben’s actions evoked – it was just who she was.

“ _Okay_ , but how can I make sure she doesn’t run off on me again?” Andy asked, tentatively, his eyes wide and innocent.

“Just _ask_ her – before you guys start hanging out the next time – clear the air, get things off your chest,” Ben offered, sounding much more confident giving Andy advice, than he’d ever felt when he’d been in a similar position.

“Awesome!” yelled Andy, springing to his feet, suddenly filled with enthusiasm and renewed vigour, “I am _totally_ going to go do that - you guys are so smart!”

“You’re welcome,” Leslie smiled up at him, rocking backwards on her heels, as she craned her neck to look, “-just try and stay positive, whatever’s going on with you guys, you’ll work it out.”

“Thanks, Leslie,” replied Andy, a bright grin on his face, before he turned on his heel and ran back towards the City Hall building.

“ _Very impressive,_ ” Leslie repeated, turning her attention back towards Ben, now that Andy was out of her vision. Ben didn’t miss the jokey jibe in her use of his earlier words.

“Yeah, well, it’s worked for me,” Ben chuckled, pushing up and off his perch on the sidewalk. He glanced down at his watch briefly, before deciding he’d need to get some food into his now audibly hungry stomach, “I’ve still got another half hour before I need to get back to it - is there anywhere you’d recommend for food nearby?”

“We won’t have enough time for JJ’s now, but there’s a really good sandwich place Ann and I go to,” Leslie replied, after thinking it over for a moment, “ _I mean_ , I guess I _kind_ of _owe_ you lunch, Mr Wyatt – but it’s strictly business.” She hadn’t realised how no-nonsense her tone had sounded, until she thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in Ben’s eyes, “Well, at least it is during _office_ hours,” she joked, hoping it would diffuse things a little.

“Guess you kind of do, Ms. Knope,” Ben smiled down at her, bending slightly to offer her his hand up, the file and planner he’d been carrying tucked neatly under his arm.

 

* * *

 

Chris was heading back along to the office he and Ben had sequestered for the duration of their stay in Pawnee, when he was met with the strange sight of his colleague and what looked like the Deputy Director of the Parks and Recreation Department careening down the corridor. It was the fastest he’d ever seen Ben move. He was about to call after them, but they rounded the corner before the words could leave his mouth. Deciding he would follow up with Ben on it, when he got back from his break, Chris turned smoothly on his heel and continued his was back.

Eventually reaching the office, he reached into his pocket to retrieve his keys and as he moved to unlock the door, they slipped from his grasp. Colliding with his leg on the way down, he accidentally kicked them across the hallway in his rush to try to catch them. Spotting where they had eventually come to a halt, he barely had time to register the sound of footsteps running towards him. He caught sight of a slender hand whipping his keys up and out of his vision – it looked like a woman’s – and this was followed by slower footfalls coming closer.

“ _Here you go_ ,” came a relaxed, friendly voice. As Chris rose back up to full height again, he could now see its owner: before him stood a slim, cheery woman with shoulder length hazel waves and warm cocoa coloured eyes. She was very attractive, although he noted that her body language seemed guarded. Just as she was ready to hand him the keys, she brought her hand back slightly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, “-I mean, if these _are_ your keys – you weren’t trying to break in, _were you?_ ”

“Oh,” Chris blinked, completely surprised at the question, “Absolutely not, no,” he continued, mortified that was what she thought.

“ _Good,_ ” the woman smiled back, handing him his keys – obviously satisfied he was being truthful with her, “-between you and me, there are _a lot_ of odd people in this building, _let alone this city,_ ” she whispered, leaning in slightly, tucking a few stray strands of her hair behind her ear as she did.

“I’ve only been here for a few days, so I wouldn’t know anything about that. Pawnee is _quite_ the city, though,” Chris replied cordially, a small grin settling on his fine features.

“Just visiting, or have you moved here? I’m Ann, by the way,” she announced, finally introducing herself.

“I’m just visiting, _unfortunately,_ ” Chris said, a genuine sadness to his pale blue eyes, before returning her pleasantries, “Chris Traeger.”

“Well, it was nice meeting you Chris,” Ann responded, flashing him an enchanting smile, as she began to move away from him, “I’m waiting for a friend to finish for lunch and I’m already running late, so I’d better go. Hope you enjoy your stay, though!”

Chris then realised that with his meetings with the City Council members having overrun, he might miss his optimum window for hydration and food intake. Deciding to see if he could continue his conversation with his newly-met acquaintance, he called after her, “Ann! I _literally_ hadn’t realised the time! I too will be needing something to eat, may I walk with you?”

Turning her torso around to face him, Ann waited patiently, as he caught up to her. She took him in more fully as he neared, running her eyes across his form. He was tall, lean-muscled but without appearing skinny and had a chiselled jawline, arctic blue eyes and dark hair. He seemed kind and as they walked together, he listened intently as she answered his questions about herself – something she found rather refreshing after her last relationship with Mark.

“I don’t think I caught your full name?” Chris asked politely, stopping for a moment to regard her.

“Ann,” she responded, feeling the heat begin to rise in her cheeks, as she stood under his intense gaze, “Ann Perkins.”

“Ann. Perkins.” Chris repeated, his white teeth revealed in a beautiful smile - pleased with this new information, “It is a _pleasure_ to meet you.”

Ann’s right hand unconsciously reached for her ear; the hair she had previously tucked behind it having worked its way loose. She didn’t know why, but there was something about the attention Chris was giving her, which she found she enjoyed – and, emboldened by it - she took a leap of faith. “You know… my friend _is_ a bit of a workaholic – I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I caught up with her later,” Ann began, as Chris watched her hopefully, “Would you care to join me for lunch?”

Chris was intrigued by Ann’s request and also enjoying her company, decided to take her up on her offer, “That would be _delightful._ ”

 

* * *

 

“Now that we’ve found Andy and he’s okay, we’ll need to resume the search for April after we finish our food,” Leslie announced, a small frown of concentration marring her expression as they walked towards the sandwich shop. She quickly made a mental checklist of all the places she could think that April could have gone and arranged them in order of priority _and_ proximity – she was nothing if not organised.

Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Ben could see she was working through something – she wore the same manic look in her eyes the night he’d first met Andy. Some may have thought of it as frantic, but from his own experience of Leslie, he knew that it was more that she was running through _each and every_ one of her options – flitting from action to action, down her mental checklist, like a managerial hummingbird. He smirked a little as he saw her eyes dancing, deep in thought. There was a method to her madness – it wasn’t one that he knew, but it seemed to work for her. “You know, we could always get it to go,” Ben offered, clearing his throat, “-if that would help at all?”

“So proactive, Ben!” Leslie exclaimed, her mouth in a wide smile, “Real-time troubleshooting, together, while we work the problem – _I love it!_ ”

Ben couldn’t contain the amused snort he let out, quirking his eyebrows at her, “You do _know_ that’s what I _do_ for a living, right?” his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“You do _know_ you _cause_ the trouble first, right?” Leslie fired back, feigning bemusement as she held her chin high, striding by him and regarding him slyly out the corner of her eye as she passed. A childish move, she knew. She snickered quietly to herself as she heard him scoff behind her, trying to stiffen her frame so her shoulders wouldn’t give the game away. He’d totally fallen for the bait.

Jogging to catch up with her, Ben wouldn’t be ‘one-up’ed’, “ _Only_ when there’s _trouble_ to be _found_ , _Ms. Knope,_ ” he retorted, his voice deepening as he drew out her surname for a second longer than was necessary.

It sent a pleasurable shiver through Leslie.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read so far and to everyone who's left comments/kudos/subs/etc. - it really means a lot to know people are enjoying reading it.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> Another update – I actually enjoyed writing Chris and Ann’s interaction more than I thought I would.
> 
> See you at the next update!


	8. The Way Kids Talk Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Ann get to know each other over lunch.
> 
> Leslie and Ben continue their quest to find April.

Ann had just finished deciding what she was going to order, as they stood quietly at the counter, when she felt Chris’s eyes on her. Turning around, she saw that he was waiting patiently, a kind mien to his features and those icy depths once again searching hers. She felt slightly flustered at their close but respectable proximity – it wasn’t often she grabbed lunch with someone she’d just met, but Chris had _completely_ disarmed her with his personality.

“I think I’ll try their ‘supergrain special’,” he mentioned, flashing her a polite smile with his perfect, white teeth.

Ann then began to reconsider if she really _should_ be ordering her triple pastrami and cheese sub. She’d been _craving_ it all morning – too busy on her shift the night before to grab dinner and sleeping in enough this morning to where breakfast had no longer been a feasible option - but the handsome stranger she’d been getting to know over the last hour or so had just ordered one of the healthiest options available in Pawnee. Options which were extremely limited, given the town’s propensity for fast food and high sugar and fat content in their food – thanks in no small part to the Sweetums factory and Pawnchburger...

“I think I might have one of the salads...” she smiled faintly, trying to hide her dejection at having decided to forego what she had _really_ desired for her meal. Calling over the waitress from where she’d been clearing up behind the counter, Ann began to place her order, reaching into her purse for the payment.

“ _Please,_ allow me,” Chris asked, gently nudging Ann’s hand aside, “-and please don’t order anything you _don’t_ actually want, on my account.” She froze, unable to take her eyes from his pleasing visage. He was arresting, both in his kind demeanour and his chiselled looks.

“Oh no, _it’s okay,_ ” Ann laughed nervously, trying to play off the fact she _wasn’t_ having her usual lunch _because_ of him. Her hand unconsciously reached for the hair which had been bothering her over her right ear. Again.

“Please, I _insist_ ,” he grinned brightly, his perfect features seeming to glow. Chris was almost effervescent in his enthusiasm. He reached into his suit pocket and brought out his wallet, a simple – but stylish – leather bifold and took out a few crisp bills to cover the cost of their meal together. He made friendly small talk with the cashier while she got ready to ring their order through, and Ann found herself admiring his genial nature and how quickly people seemed to be drawn to it.

 _He really is charming,_ Ann thought to herself, as she watched him share a joke with some more of the staff, … _but how had he known what I wanted?_ She wondered silently, a gentle scowl falling across her brow. She was confused, _it was far too early for him to know me, so how could he have guessed I had been looking forward to my sub so much?_ _It was a fluke. It had to be._ Then, Ann remembered that with Leslie and her other friends in Parks and Recreation, things that seemed like a fluke often _weren’t_. _Could Chris be like them?_ She thought, turning the idea over in her head.

“I saw your eyes lingering over the meat subs on the board,” he responded with a pleasant expression, as if he had heard her thoughts, before adding,  “I’m sure you don’t need to worry about burning it off back off again, with all the walking you must do each day!”

Ann blinked at him in surprise – dumbfounded - before she turned to place her order and then paused for Chris to place his.

“I would like your ‘supergrain special’, I would like it without any dressing other than vinaigrette and I would like a glass of ice water to drink,” he answered efficiently after the waitress had asked if they wanted anything else. She moved off to take their order to the kitchen and giving Ann a brief glance, gave her a knowing wink as she jerked her head over to where Chris stood. _“Shall we?”_ he asked, turning to Ann - a bright grin on his face.

They wandered over to one of the booths and sat down opposite each other. Ann was still puzzled by _how_ he had deduced she _walked_ every day. She was out of her scrubs, so it _couldn’t_ have been that. Deciding to work it into their conversation while they waited for their orders to arrive, she asked him straight out - emboldened: “How do you figure I walk every day?” She looked at him side on as she spoke, a questioning look to her beautiful honey-brown eyes.

“ _Well,_ I had noticed that you were wearing a decent gauge of sneakers and that you had a fob watch, so I thought you might have been a nurse or doctor,” he replied, letting out a small amused laugh, then leaning in across the table slightly as if he were about to tell her a secret,

“ _Also,_ you still have your St Joseph’s Hospital ID on.” His eyes flickered down to illustrate his point.

“ _Oh,_ ” Ann giggled embarrassedly as she glanced down, her cheeks turning pink with her blush, “Good deduction...”

 _God! What is wrong with me today?_ Ann berated herself inwardly, slightly annoyed at herself for feeling like she was acting like she was in junior high again, _So, you’ve met a nice guy – get it together, Perkins!_

“ _So,_ which department is your friend based in?” Chris enquired - snapping Ann out of her introspection -he was curious about where it was that Ann had been heading. His interest had truly been piqued by the brunette who was presently _demolishing_ a 6-inch sub across from him. He tried his best to suppress his laugh when she paused mid-mouthful and tried to respond. Some might have found the action off-putting, but Chris found it endearing. Especially when she realised, she’d forgotten her manners and her hazel eyes grew wider.

“I am _so_ sorry,” she apologised, dabbing stray mustard from her lips. Ann looked ruffled. She _felt_ flustered. She was normally _very_ chill around men, but something about Chris had taken her back to before she had learned how to handle them. She felt tongue-tied and unable to find her normal confidence. She didn’t realise one of her hands had started to fidget with her hair again.

“It just means you enjoyed it,” the handsome man grinned back at her, between bites of his own sandwich. His eyes seemed to grow bluer the longer they spent time together, Ann noted. “This truly is a ‘ _super’_ grain special!” Chris exclaimed, as he began to work his way through his own lunch. Although, she noted, he seemed to take longer pauses between bites. Noticing her watching him, Chris flashed her another dazzling smile.

 _God,_ Ann thought, _not even a single grain stuck in one of those perfect white teeth._

“Getting back to your question,” she began, glancing up into his frosty depths once more, “-my best friend works in the Parks and Recreation department, _I mean,_ she kind of runs it.” She noticed the flash of recognition in Chris’s eyes, immediately. _Does he know Leslie?_ She pondered, with a slight narrowing of her eyes. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later.

“ _Leslie Knope?_ ” he asked, an air of surprise in his tone, “It _is_ a small world, Ann Perkins…”

With the unreadable expression he was currently wearing, she didn’t know whether that was a _good_ thing or a _bad_ thing…

 

* * *

 

Ben had just come out of the sandwich place with their orders, glancing briefly up at the darkening sky - the sun beginning to dip lower when he thought he saw Chris - and what looked like Ann - rounding the corner of the block down from where he had left Leslie outside. He wasn’t _entirely_ sure why, but a feeling had settled in his core that told him it _wasn’t_ a good idea if Chris saw him and Leslie having lunch together.

The words ‘impropriety’ and ‘special treatment’ echoed in his mind. Words he had heard Chris repeat to others, during their travels as a state auditing team. Words that had _not_ ended well for _any_ involved.

Ben glanced between their approach and where Leslie paced back and forth on her cell phone on the sidewalk, deep in conversation. Panic began wind through his veins and in an effort not to draw too much attention from them, he quickly strode over to her, placed his hand on her shoulder and gestured down the street with his head. “We’ve got to go. _Now._ ”

Leslie followed where he had motioned to and soon spotted what had caused his eyes to grow owl-like and intense. There, coming _straight_ towards them, were Chris and Ann. She finished her call with Donna as quickly as she could without arousing suspicion. She couldn’t quite believe what her eyes showed her.

 _Ann?_ Leslie observed, confusedly, then realising who she was walking with, decided that they would make perfect nieces and nephews together, _Aww..._ Ben’s gentle squeeze on her shoulder and his pleading look, snapped her out of her daydream about watching her and Ann’s children performing their first historical re-enactment about Pawnee. Her dazed smile faded as quickly as it had formed.

Ben’s dark eyes darted around, hunting for an exit route. Sensing he had spotted one, Leslie looked to him for guidance. He glanced down at her with his lips pursed, before nodding to a store with a load of Wamapoke wood carvings outside – his thick, styled-but-not styled coiffure bobbing slightly at its ends.

“ _Perfect,_ great thinking Ben!” Leslie said in hushed tones, as they sauntered over to start perusing the wares, slowly working their way in behind them as they pretended to be a browsing couple. Now behind cover, they could gradually hear their friend’s voices growing louder - Ann releasing a gentle laugh at something Chris had said. Leslie craned her head out ever-so-slightly to try to get a look at the pair and spotted Chris moving to get the door for her sweet summer chipmunk. _Oh, Ann… yay!_ She noted in her internal monologue, as she began to imagine them enjoying a meal which then grew into a romantic encounter.

“Good, _they’re gone,_ ” announced Ben to her right, his warm cocoa eyes flicking down to hers as he took a final glance at the entrance to the sandwich place, “Guess we’ll be taking the long way back to City Hall?” he remarked, giving his golden-haired companion a small half-smile.

“ _Well,_ actually, Jerry came back in to the office while I was on the phone to Donna and he said he’d seen April,” Leslie offered, an uncertain smile on her face.

Ben noted that it looked more like a grimace than a smile - like there was something _wrong._ An uneasy feeling entered his stomach, forcing it aside for a moment, he decided that he wouldn’t be able to support Leslie properly if he let his apprehension get in the way. It didn’t mean that it wasn’t still preying at the back of his mind, however. _She’s normally so… cheery…_ he thought, as eyed her, trying to figure out their next move. “Well, that’s _good,_ ” replied Ben, caution to his tone and tilting his head slightly – still trying to gauge Leslie’s reaction, “ _Right?_ ”

“Yeah…” she answered, but it wasn’t entirely convincing, “-he said she was sitting alone on a bench on the fourth floor when he’d gone to check the lease details for the department vehicles.” She shuddered at the thought of poor April sitting – _there -_ all alone. This was something which didn’t escape Ben’s hawk-sharp eyes.

Deciding something was _definitely_ up, Ben decided to ask his question dead-on: “Alright, Leslie – what’s _wrong_ with the fourth floor?” his right eyebrow raised in question. He couldn’t wait to hear what her take would be. As he’d gotten to know her, he’d observed that while they were – _elaborate_ – they were rarely _wrong_.

“I just don’t understand why she would go _there_ – it’s just so… _creepy…_ ” Leslie exclaimed suddenly, scrunching her nose up and shaking her head at the thought of having to visit her _least_ favourite part of City Hall. She hoped April was okay up there and was thankful to Donna – and to Jerry – for having told her that's where her friend was. It didn’t stop her worrying though, that one of the _revenants_ from upstairs might start to bother her. The fact that the sun was already beginning to dip low in the sky also sent an uneasy chill through her bones. Whatever time they _did_ have left, she _hoped_ it would be enough...

“It won’t be _that_ bad,” chuckled Ben, hoping that it sounded more genuine than it felt. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure what was in store for them based off Leslie’s reaction and Ben had _never_ dealt well with the unexpected. He was a man who _loved_ plans, who loved being _prepared_. Right now, he didn’t know _what_ they were walking into.

“Take this,” Leslie announced, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small, polished black rock. Ben looked at her with a dubious expression, as she gently grabbed his hand and placed it in it. Deciding he’d be more likely to believe it was simply a local custom, her mind went straight to work to concoct a plausible explanation. While she argued with herself that it was a _white lie_ and not a deliberate _deceit,_  “It’s obsidian – _Pawneeans_ use it for protection - it's an old, _odd,_ custom...”

“Oh, _okay,_ ” mumbled Ben, looking at the small dark gem in his hand and then back at Leslie, who seemed to be stifling a fit of giggles at his concerned manner, “ _-thanks,_ ” he said, slightly more relaxed in his manner now. She moved towards him and paused for a moment, like she was thinking something over. Then, she slowly reached out and plucked the gem from his still-outstretched hand and gently placed it into his jacket pocket. She felt Ben jerk slightly as her hand brushed his on the way back and found him looking at her intently. The brief contact had that same _electric_ feel to it from when they had first shaken hands. It was _weird_ and both thrilled and concerned him.

“We have to be quick,” Leslie announced, bringing him back into the world again and out of his own head, “I don’t want to leave April up there for _too_ long on her own…” The ominous tone to her voice set Ben’s nerves on edge. She threw him a small, reassuring smile, before she moved to start power-walking back to City Hall. Despite her shorter height, Ben struggled to keep pace with her. Before long, the bone-white stone and terracotta dome of the civic building came into view.

As they headed for the lifts and began their ride up, Ben began to feel a pit forming in his stomach. Something felt _off_ from the moment the lift doors opened to the fourth floor. The air up here smelt dank and musty, like there was no ventilation and the atmosphere felt cool and – if it were possible – _heavy._ Leslie glanced at him, wearing a look like she was steeling herself for what lay ahead and then stepped out and into the corridor. Ben swallowed hard and followed her, a moment after. Compared to the relative bustle of the lower floors, this felt like they had walked into a _crypt_. It was near silent – save for the occasional shuffling and shambling past of a staff member or member of the public. Ben got the distinct impression that they didn’t often get visitors up here, as he felt like they were being watched the entire time. Each time they passed someone, they seemed to pause afterwards and slowly pivot round to observe them – their eyes following them until they rounded the next corner. It was _unsettling_ , to say the least.

“If she’s where I think she is, she’ll be just up ahead,” Leslie whispered over her shoulder, her blue eyes burning with determination, although her golden hair seemed to have been dulled by the place. The corridors here were either dull or pitch black, leaving Ben to wonder whether they even did maintenance on this floor. He nodded back at her, to let her know he was still with her - that he hadn’t been turned into one of the _walking dead_ they seemed to be amongst.

 _Stop it, Ben,_ he chided himself, _Zombies aren’t real…_

A sudden, loud groan ahead of them caused him to nearly jump out of his own skin with fright.

“Oh, _Good Lord!_ ” he cried, almost crashing into Leslie. She turned her head round to fix him with a look of total bemusement, when a second more _recognisable_ sigh followed it a few moments later. He shook his head at her sarcastically, as if to suggest she wouldn’t have _totally_ done the same thing if their positions had been reversed.

“ _April!_ ” she mouthed at him in a loud whisper, as they began to turn the corner of the corridor. It was very dull - almost pitch black - save for a pale blue light which illuminated its surroundings, around halfway down. As they drew closer, they could hear the occasional tapping of someone on their phone and could now see it was indeed April Ludgate. She lay with her legs hanging over the end of the bench, the back of her knees resting on the armrest facing them. She hadn’t noticed them yet, or at least hadn’t given any indication that she had.

“ _April?_ ” Leslie asked, moving forwards slowly, one hand out in front of her. Her golden hair looked almost silver in this light. _Ethereal._ Ben felt entranced as he watched her recede down the hall.

“Urgh… _go away…_ ” April grumbled, rolling over onto her side, facing the wall. She grew more intent on what was on her phone screen the closer she heard Leslie’s footfalls draw. An expression straddling somewhere between a minute a smile and a frown was playing on her features.

“We saw Andy,” Leslie opened with, a tentative note to her voice, “-he was _worried_ about you…” April didn’t stir at the sound, but she also didn’t run off. Leslie waited for a moment, before opting to continue. “I don’t know what happened, but I just wanted to check you were okay.”

April was _silent._ Ben and Leslie shared a look.

“Why is the demon’s _minion_ here?” April demanded, her eyes never leaving her phone screen. Although, from what Leslie could see, she looked much less tense. She released a small huff, before flopping over on her other side, facing out into the corridor now. When Leslie didn’t respond, she pushed herself on one elbow and glowered directly at Ben. 

 _Demon? Minion?_ Wondered Ben, bamboozled, _is this the way kids talk now?_

“ _April…_ ” Leslie let out an exasperated sigh, “Ben’s _not_ a _demon._ You _know_ that…” She tried to flash Ben a smile that she hoped said ‘kids, eh?’, behind her to the partner in her quest to retrieve the erstwhile young woman. She hadn’t realised that the tone she had used had instead caused him consternation. “Andy seemed upset about something, do you know what it was about?” she asked her young friend, her eyes questioning.

“ _No…_ ” April complained, although Ben recognised that tone almost immediately. It was one he had grown well-accustomed to when Stephanie, his sister, had been younger. She too had gone through a ‘difficult’ phase during early adulthood. When Leslie sat down next to her on the bench – in what little room she had left – she didn’t protest. “You’re not going to leave me _alone_ until I tell you, _are you?_ ” moaned the younger woman, lifting her head up briefly to roll her eyes theatrically.

“No,” Leslie smiled gently back at her, “No, I’m not.”

Ben released a small snort at that and couldn’t help the small smirk that spread on his lips, which followed, as he watched the two interact.

A strange, disjointed shuffling sound echoed down the passage behind him.

Then he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's read so far and to everyone who's left comments/kudos/subs/etc. - it really means a lot to know people are enjoying reading it.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> Dun dun dun… Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I’ve started a new story that has diverted my attention recently. I’m still planning for updates on everything I write, they may just be a little more infrequent at the moment, as it’s more of an ‘as and when I get time’ scenario. 
> 
> See you at the next update!


	9. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie tries to get Ben and April of the Fourth Floor safely.
> 
> The Department have trouble on the horizon.

As he watched them, he could see that April was now sitting, bolt upright, eyes staring in his direction – her phone clutched tightly in her hands and her dark eyes like saucers. Leslie’s gaze flew to Ben and she was murmuring something he couldn’t quite make out – like she was repeating a mantra.

_What’s gotten into both of them?_ He wondered, confoundment etched into his angular features.

Then he felt an eerie tingling, as the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end. The sound of something being dragged along the ground filtered down the corridor towards him and he slowly began to turn around to see what it was. Suddenly, Leslie dashed forwards with a rat-at-at-at of her heels, shoving him behind herself roughly. _She’s strong for someone so... tiny..._ He observed, inarticulately.

“ _Leslie?_ What’s going on?” he whispered, unsure of quite why he suddenly felt so tense, but the fact that Leslie didn’t respond right away didn’t bring him any more comfort.

“We... _Shouldn’t_ be up here...” she muttered under her breath, a cryptic edge to her voice. Ben leant forward to try and see what she was looking for in the dark, catching her serious eyes for a moment, prompting her to clarify her meaning “-at least not at _this_ time of day...”

“Are we locked in?” he asked, in a raised whisper, attempting to fish for more information. If he had a clearer picture of the scenario, he felt he could at least _contribute_ to the solution, “I mean, we could always call security?”

“Ha – _good one,_ ‘Ben’...” grumbled April sarcastically, like he had offered a completely _useless_ suggestion, her dark eyes unblinking as she continued to stare. It unnerved him – he wasn’t sure whether she was looking _at_ him, or _beyond_ him. Either way, it didn’t matter, as both her and Leslie were on edge.

Leslie looked at Ben for a moment - like he was _simple_ – before her gaze softened. It was as if she had then realised how _extreme_ her reaction might have seemed to him. She gently placed her palm on his arm, loosely gripping his bicep and closed her eyes as she did, drawing in a deep breath and centring herself. When she reopened them a minute or so later, her eyes appeared to be lit from the inside - by a ghostly blue flame.

“ _April,_ we’re going to need to work _together_ ,” Leslie announced, taking charge of the situation, “I need you to help me get us out of here before _they_ realise...”

“ _But-_ ” April began to say - eyeing Ben with a very emphatic look - before her eyes moved back to Leslie.

Leslie didn’t initially know _how_ to respond… Ben had _no_ idea about the things that go on with her. Or her friends. Or Pawnee. _I could always see if Mom could help wipe the memory of this from him,_ Leslie pondered quietly, - _no, that would be messing with his free will though... Think Leslie. Think. Aha!_ She flew through her options, quickly settling on a simple incantation and one she _knew_ April had been practicing. It was straightforward, and one of the first things she herself had been taught, but effective.

She sent April a pointed look and then glanced briefly down at her hands, signalling to the young woman to follow her lead as she began to slowly gesture with them towards her. April frowned for a moment, but it evaporated to a look of interest as soon as she realised what it _was_ that Leslie was asking her to do. The two women slowly joined hands, placing Ben between themselves as they closed their eyes and bowed their heads. They began repeating a series of words in low voices. To Ben, it sounded like a strange, ancient prayer:

 

_Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall,_

_From this circle hear our call:_

_Lend us your help,_

_And your power,_

_Protect those within,_

_In this grave hour._

 

Leslie and April then opened their eyes and nodded to each other, slowly releasing their hands with what Ben noted was an odd flourish of their fingers. Despite the questioning look he fired at Leslie, she merely gave him a small reassuring smile, so he chalked it up to just being another small-town quirk. _For the time being._

The area around them, however, only seemed to have grown darker. The shuffling had stopped – or so they thought. It was only when Ben thought he heard a wheezing breath coming from directly behind himself, making his heart begin to race with fear, that the three turned. A hunched figure stood - illuminated from the back by one of the faint lights from the fire exit signs - unmoving. Then a loud groan alerted them to another, standing behind where April was.

“We were just leaving, _Ethel,_ ” Leslie announced loudly, “-we only came here to collect our friend, we didn’t mean to _overstay_ our welcome.”

Ben didn’t understand why she was explaining this to them. _We’re all Government employees, aren’t we?_ He wondered inwardly, incredulous. They hadn’t done anything wrong, per se, but the calm firmness in her timbre seemed to suggest otherwise. She sounded _uneasy_ , despite the tone of her voice.

A hollow sounding rasp came in response, “ _Leave._ Now…”

The whole setting was starting to freak Ben out. _Just, where are we?_ He wondered, silently.

“ _We will,_ ” Leslie replied, waving Ben and April behind herself, urging them off with a look that told them to hurry.

April grabbed him by the arm, jerking it hard. His eyes flew down to where she gripped him. “ _Move,_ ” she growled at him, her eyes like blades, “-we’ve got to go!”

Ben cast a glance over to where Leslie stood, as if negotiating their safe passage. April hauled sharply on his arm, an insistency to her gaze when their eyes met and he got the impression that she wasn’t in the habit of pleading, “ _Please,_ Ben…”

The desperation he began to sense from her, spurred him on and with the briefest hesitation – still torn between not leaving Leslie behind and doing as she had asked – his feet began to carry him onwards. April rushed him past a ghoulish looking man with sallow skin and strangely sunken features – particularly around his eyes. Ben had the fleeting thought that he looked like an extra from the Thriller video, especially when he jerked towards them as they passed, as if to grab them. April batted his hand away forcefully with a resoundingly amused, “ _Eww!_ ”

She led them brusquely towards a fire escape and threw the door open, ushering Ben through it into the darkened stairwell, throwing a look over her shoulder to where Leslie began to retreat slowly backwards towards them. The creak of more doors opening and many more Fourth Floor occupants spilling out, prompted April to rush into the stair behind him.

“ _What’s happening?_ ” he demanded, catching her by the arm – feeling increasing discomfort at abandoning Leslie, “ _April,_ what is going on?”

Leslie flew through the door then, rattling the door off the wall violently before slamming it home, her eyes wild. “Okay, I think we need to leave…” she announced, catching her breath for a moment, before spotting Ben and April frozen by her sudden appearance, “-come on guys. We need to get going…”

The golden-haired woman, calmly – _too calmly,_ Ben thought – walked past April and himself, moving purposefully downstairs. A frenzied rattling of hands on the vision panel to the fire escape door soon after her departure, prompted them both to panic and fly down the stairwell behind her.

Ben had no idea what had transpired, and April’s mind ran to all the _darkest_ possibilities. Leslie was the only one amongst them who had even an _inkling_ of what was going on. All, however, raced downwards until the reached the ground floor again and burst out into a bright corridor. Leslie breathed a sigh of relief. She’d managed to avoid having to do much more to Ben, than afflicting him with a simple temporary _glamour_ – he saw the occupants of the Fourth Floor as it drew close to sundown, as they appeared during the _day._ It still made her stomach uneasy, but she knew it was the lesser of two evils…

“You were right,” Ben managed to huff out, doubled over as her tried to catch his breath, “it _was_ creepy…”

Leslie would have let out a shrill cackle of appreciation if she too hadn’t been trying to recover. Instead, she opted to flash him a small grin acknowledging his witty remark. They were safe, _for now,_ and they had managed to retrieve April.

                                                                                           

* * *

 

 

The three walked back to the Parks Department together - Ben and Leslie in gentle chit chat back and forth and April back to being engrossed in her phone. As they entered the offices, they could hear Donna, Tom and Jerry’s voices in lowered tones coming from the conference room - deep in deliberation about _something_. Leslie’s expression grew perplexed when they immediately stopped their discussion, when she, Ben and April walked past. Odder still, was that Ron was holed up in his office, with the blinds pulled down and one of his Willie Nelson records blaring loudly from within.

  _That’s one of his calming techniques…_ Leslie noted, as she ducked into her office to drop off her bag. Ben hovered by the door, looking between her and over towards Ron’s office, raising one of his sharp eyebrows in question.

“ _Leslie_ – Ron’s being _weird_ again!” shouted April helpfully from her desk, feet crossed up on it as she lounged back in her chair, still deeply engrossed in her messaging – not even looking up when she addressed the Deputy Director.

A brief knock at the door announced the sharply-dressed Tom’s arrival from the conference room, grasping onto the handle and leaning forward past Ben and into the room, “What up Knope? _Listen,_ we’ve got a lil’ tiny – lil’ bitty - of a _sitch…_ ”

“Well,” Leslie replied, looking up from her review of her diary as she re-prioritised her tasks, “Get everyone into the conference room that _isn’t_ already in there and let’s get a brainstorming session going!” Tom nodded in response, before scurrying back off to round up April. Leslie felt a chill enter her bones then - something _wicked_ was coming. She shook it off as best she could, before she squared her shoulders and stood.

“I, _uh,_ better let you get back to it…” Ben announced, excusing himself awkwardly, as he continued to hover by threshold of her office door, “-you’ve obviously got a _lot_ on your plate right now and I don’t want to take up any more of your time...”

“ _It was fun,_ ” Leslie smiled brightly at him, swithering over whether she could use his grounded advice or to bid him farewell, settling after a few moments on the latter, “-see you around then, Wyatt?…”

The question that wasn’t a question, hung in the air between them until Ben gave her a small, shy smile in response and then he walked off out of the department. Leslie crept over to her door, watching his tall, rangy frame retreating and the way his measured stride caused the ends of his swept fringe to bob lightly. She felt a happy warmth spread in her chest when she saw him pause for a moment outside the glazed doors at the Department entrance, then his head swung around, and his smoky brown eyes caught her red-handed watching him. She smiled girlishly, feeling a youthful thrill flutter in her chest as he raised a hand in recognition – firing her a handsome smirk in the knowledge that he’d had her attention – before he resumed his departure.

“ _Knope_ – come on!” muttered Tom, from the conference room door, rolling his eyes theatrically at her and she realised it was because he had witnessed her swooning over Ben Wyatt. The chaos demon disappeared back inside, the sound of Leslie’s irked growl escaping him. She quickly swiped a notepad off her desk, her azure eyes drifting over to Ron’s office door with concern, before she marched into the conference room.

“What _took_ you so long, Leslie?” questioned Donna, a sceptical expression on her face. Leslie didn’t miss the amused look that passed between Tom and her, causing the blonde to visibly gulp in apprehension.

“Have a good lunch, Leslie?” Jerry asked, an earnest smile spread on the heavier set man’s features, “Did you and Mr Wyatt have a meeting, or did you go to lunch together?”

Donna, Tom and April all exchanged devilish looks at each other around the table, while Jerry waited for her response. Whilst she knew deep down that it hadn’t come from a place of malice with the older silver-haired man, it was such a _Jerry_ thing to do – to put his foot in it without thinking. However, she also _craftily_ realised he had given her an _out_ within his own phrasing.

“We, _uh,_ had a _meeting_ slated for this morning, but then I went to go find April and Ben decided to give me a _hand_ ,” Leslie replied, fumbling her response as she attempted to steer her way out of this line of questioning and get everyone refocused on the problem they needed to solve. It backfired slightly when she heard the amused sniggers from the trio who looked at her knowingly. She was _lying_.

“Well, glad you were able bring April back safely,” Jerry smiled cheerfully, earning an exaggerated groan from Tom and a bemused eyeroll from the sullen teenager across from him.

Surprisingly, it was Donna who interjected before Leslie got the opportunity, trying to get those in attendance back on task. “Yeah, _Jerry,_ we _all_ are – _anyway_ – we have got serious _trouble_ on our hands, if you get what I mean…”

Leslie frowned slightly, shaking her head to signal that she wasn’t quite following.

Donna’s animated face didn’t hide her momentary frustration, “ _Seriously, Leslie?_ Ron’s locked himself in his office as we’ve seen him do a _hundred_ times before and you can’t _feel_ what’s going on?”

“Yeah, Donna, he’s listening to old people music like he always does when he doesn’t want to deal with something…” April remarked sarcastically, breaking her eye contact with her phone briefly.

“ _Listen,_ April – I’ll give you a _pass_ on this because you’re still relatively new, but this is _worse_ than anything _you’ve_ seen…” Donna retorted coolly, with an air of authority in her tone that caused the younger woman to sheepishly return her eyes to her phone.

“ _Trouble._ With a capital _‘T’!_ ” Tom repeated flamboyantly, looking at Leslie the same way Donna was - like neither could quite believe she _wasn’t_ picking up on what was up with Ron.

Then it hit her. She felt so dense when it did. All the signs were there, and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t pieced it together sooner.

_Tammy._ Tammy was back. That must have been what had been bothering the denizens of the Fourth Floor and what had set off her senses when she’d gotten back to her office.

“Oh, _God…_ ” Leslie winced, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers, the full weight of the situation only now beginning to dawn on her

“ _‘Oh, God’_ indeed, Leslie,” announced Ron ominously, as he stepped into the room without anyone having heard the door to his office open, causing her to jump at the sound of his voice, “ _God help us all…_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait for this chapter, but I didn’t want to rush it out! Hopefully it’s been worth the wait 😊 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's read so far and to everyone who's left comments/kudos/subs/etc. - it really means a lot to know people are enjoying reading it.
> 
> If you have - please let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> See you at the next update!


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